By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP

Military and law enforcement clashed with demonstrators outside La Paz, Bolivia, in an attempt to clear roadways that had been blocked as part of nationwide antigovernment protests.

As many as 3,500 soldiers and police were deployed as part of the operation that began in the early hours of Saturday. Around 57 people were arrested, according to the citizens’ rights ombudsman’s office.

Miners, schoolteachers, Indigenous groups and unions have helped to organise the protests, which aimed to convey outrage against the government of centre-right President Rodrigo Paz.

Bolivia is in the grips of an historic economic crisis, considered the worst the country has seen in decades.

The government’s foreign currency reserves have cratered, as exports from Bolivia have slowed down.

Key among those was natural gas. Vast reserves of the fuel were discovered in the late 20th century, and for nearly three decades, those natural gas deposits powered Bolivia’s economy, transforming the South American country into a major energy exporter.

But in 2022, the dynamic switched, amid mismanagement and dwindling supplies. Since then, Bolivia has had to import fuel from abroad, exacerbating its economic crisis.

Currently, many parts of the country have experienced long lines for fuel and shortages of basic supplies like food.

Paz, who was elected in October, had campaigned on alleviating the economic stress. But since taking office, he has spurred outrage by ending a two-decade-old fuel subsidy and pushing to privatise state-owned companies.

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Earlier this month, the protests forced the repeal of a land reform measure, Law 1720, that critics claimed could be used to dispossess small, rural landowners, in favour of bigger holdings.

The Bolivian government has estimated that 22 roadblocks have been erected across the country in recent weeks.

Some of the protesters have demanded Paz’s resignation: His election in October marked the end of nearly two decades of rule by the Movement for Socialism (MAS).

But Paz’s office has blamed the demonstrations for cutting off key supplies to cities like La Paz, which holds the seat of government.

Food prices have increased since the blockades began, and the government claims three people have died after being unable to reach hospitals.

According to presidential spokesperson Jose Luis Galvez, Saturday’s crackdown on the protesters was designed to create a “humanitarian corridor” to ensure the free flow of supplies to hospitals in La Paz.

Earlier this week, Paz also thanked his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, for delivering humanitarian assistance to Bolivia.

“This gesture of solidarity not only strengthens the historic bonds of brotherhood between our nations, but also represents vital relief for our communities in times of great need,” Paz wrote on social media on Friday.

Milei responded by denouncing the protesters as anti-democratic.

“Argentina stands with the Bolivian people and supports their democratically elected authorities against those who seek to destabilise the country and obstruct the path toward freedom and progress,” the Argentinian president said.

A demonstrator wearing a face mask holds a rock as tear gas spreads behind him in El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16. [Claudia Morales/Reuters] Advertisement Protesters stand next to burning tyres as they demonstrate against President Rodrigo Paz's government in El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]Tear gas fills the streets in El Alto, Bolivia, as protesters rally on May 16. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]Rocks are scattered on the road as protesters show their frustration with Rodrigo Paz's government in El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]Protesters clash with police in El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16, as the government carries out a crackdown to clear roadblocks. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]People on bikes ride around barricades set up by protesters on the highway connecting La Paz with Oruro, near El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16. [Juan Karita/AP Photo] Advertisement Police and army vehicles patrol a highway blocked by antigovernment protesters near El Alto, Bolivia, on May 16. [Juan Karita/AP Photo]Trucks line up on the highway connecting La Paz with Oruro on May 16, amid roadblocks set up by antigovernment protesters. [Juan Karita/AP Photo]Men detained by police sit on the ground in Lipari, Bolivia, as government forces carry out a crackdown on May 16. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]Protesters in Bolivia have been orchestrating roadblocks for weeks, in a sign of frustration with President Rodrigo Paz's government. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]Police officers arrest a person during protests on May 16 in Lipari, Bolivia, as the government pushes to clear vital roadways near La Paz. [Claudia Morales/Reuters]Remote-controlled riot-control robots are deployed in Plaza Murillo near government buildings in La Paz on May 16. [AFP]

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP

Two presidential campaign staffers have been killed in Colombia just two weeks before the South American country heads to the polls.

The killings were announced by right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, who said gunmen on motorbikes shot the victims in the central department of Meta on Friday night.

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In a post on the social media platform X, de la Esperiella said the two staffers “walked the streets defending democracy, freedom, and the hope of millions of Colombians”.

“Their only crime was believing in the Fatherland and not kneeling before the violent,” the candidate added.

The citizens’ rights ombudsman for Colombia identified the slain men as Rogers Mauricio Devia Escoba, a former mayor for the city of Cubarral, and his adviser Eder Fabian Cardona Lopez.

The office said another attack took place against a former mayoral candidate in the area, without providing further details.

While the attacks remain under investigation, the ombudsman warned that they could affect the “exercise of political rights and democratic participation” in the upcoming election on May 31.

“Violence, threats, and any form of intimidation undermine public debate, deepen risks for political and social leaderships, and weaken democratic coexistence,” the office said in a statement.

Meta has long been a stronghold for both rebel fighters and cocaine trafficking in the country. Violence and surging crime have featured prominently in the presidential race to replace the country’s first leftist leader, Gustavo Petro.

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The frontrunner in the presidential race, left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, has promised to continue the course charted by Petro, who has championed a negotiated solution to Colombia’s armed conflict.

De la Espriella, by contrast, has moulded himself in the likeness of populist right-wing leaders like El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele and Argentina’s Javier Milei.

Polls show him polling in second with more than 20 percent of voter support, followed by centre-right Senator Paloma Valencia.

Cepeda, meanwhile, is going into the first round of voting with between 37 and 40 percent support. A total of 14 candidates were registered for the presidential race as of March.

At least three candidates have reported receiving death threats. The frontrunners all travel with heavy security.

Last year, Cepeda’s vice presidential running mate, Indigenous activist and state senator Aida Quilcue, was briefly kidnapped by a rebel group that broke away from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

It was among the dissident factions that refused to sign a 2016 deal with the government, under which the FARC — the largest left-wing rebel organisation at the time — agreed to disarm.

Miguel Uribe, a senator and presidential hopeful, was also shot during a June 2025 rally in Bogota. He died from his wound two months later, in August.

A new poll has reaffirmed the tight race for Brazil’s presidency this year, with both the left-wing incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his right-wing challenger, Flavio Bolsonaro, tied in a head-to-head contest.

On Saturday, Datafolha, the polling firm for the Grupo Folha media conglomerate, released its latest numbers, tracking the candidates’ progress in the run-up to October’s generation election.

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Nearly 2,004 responded to the latest survey, which asked them to identify whom they would vote for if Lula and Bolsonaro progressed to a run-off.

Lula, now 80 years old, is angling for a fourth nonconsecutive term.

Brazil’s presidents are limited to two four-year terms at a time, and Lula first served as president from 2003 to 2011, championing social programmes to reduce hunger and increase federal assistance to the poor.

Bolsonaro, on the other hand, is hoping to continue his father’s far-right political legacy. The eldest son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio — a senator representing Rio de Janeiro — has pledged to seek his father’s release should he be elected.

Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to plot a coup and subvert the election results in 2022, which saw an end to his term and the beginning to Lula’s latest.

Saturday’s poll results put Lula and the younger Bolsonaro in a dead heat.

Both candidates received 45 percent of the polled voter support, with an additional 9 percent indicating they would cast “null” ballots. The remaining 1 percent was undecided.

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But the poll, conducted on May 12 and 13, was conducted before the latest scandal involving the younger Bolsonaro’s campaign gained public traction.

Controversy over film deal

On May 13, The Intercept Brasil, a news publication, printed a report containing leaked WhatsApp messages between Bolsonaro and a banker arrested for an alleged fraud scheme, Daniel Vorcaro.

Bolsonaro had reportedly approached Vorcaro to finance a film about his father’s life, called Dark Horse.

The Bolsonaro family has long maintained that Jair Bolsonaro is a victim of political persecution, and it had tapped US actor Jim Caviezel to play the ex-president.

According to The Intercept’s reporting, Flavio Bolsonaro and his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro had soliciting funding from Vorcaro, who ultimately pledged $24m, or 134 million Brazilian reals, to the film project.

In a statement, Flavio Bolsonaro acknowledged that he had reached out for financing, but he denied the exchange had anything to do with Vorcaro’s alleged fraud scheme.

“It is necessary to separate the innocent from the criminals,” the statement said. “In our case, what happened was a son seeking PRIVATE sponsorship for a PRIVATE film about his own father’s life.”

Left-wing lawmakers, however, have called for an investigation into the incident.

The controversy over the Dark Horse film is not the only scandal to have rocked Flavio Bolsonaro’s presidential campaign in recent months.

In December, the senator entered the presidential race with his imprisoned father’s blessing.

But shortly afterwards, he faced criticism for statements appearing to suggest he might withdraw from the race in exchange for his father’s freedom. He later clarified that his candidacy was “irreversible”.

In April, Brazil’s Supreme Court also gave the go-ahead for federal police to investigate whether Flavio Bolsonaro had made defamatory statements about Lula.

While Lula was the frontrunner by a wide margin in late 2025, Bolsonaro has since narrowed the gap, leading to the two candidates racing neck and neck before October’s election.

As the Eurovision Song Contest took to the stage for the Saturday night final in Vienna, thousands protested outside against Israel’s inclusion, and five countries boycotted the event over the genocidal war on Gaza.

Protesters marched through the Austrian capital to highlight what critics described as a double standard. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) organisers refused to exclude Israel, despite banning Russia following its invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

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Eurovision, which attracted 166 million viewers last year, is seeing the largest boycott in its 70-year history.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia all withdrew because of Israel’s inclusion, with some of their national broadcasters refusing to air the show.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has emerged as one of Israel’s strongest critics in Europe, said on Friday that the decision puts Spain on “the right side of history”.

Last month, more than 1,000 artists called on fans to boycott Eurovision in an open letter against Israel’s participation. Among the artists were outspoken critics of Israel, Macklemore and Paloma Faith. Macklemore has released songs protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Double standards

On Monday, Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard denounced the EBU for allowing Israel to participate.

“The failure of the European Broadcasting Union to suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia, is an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards when it comes to Israel,” she said.

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Reporting from Vienna, Al Jazeera’s Charlie Angela said 2,000 demonstrators gathered in the city earlier on Saturday to protest against Israel’s participation.

Angela reported that protesters accused the competition of normalising Israel’s actions in Gaza, adding that Eurovision was “bending over backwards” to justify including Israel while excluding Russia.

Russia has faced a widespread cultural boycott following the Ukraine invasion. It is banned from international football tournaments, and FIFA and UEFA have excluded Russian domestic teams from all competitions, including the Champions League.

The winner of Eurovision will be selected by both a professional jury and TV viewers voting for their favourite act.

Austria won the competition last year, with Israel second.

The Israeli government was later accused of unfairly influencing voting. New rules have since been introduced.

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Published On 16 May 202616 May 2026

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Following a visit from United States President Donald Trump to China, the island of Taiwan has issued a statement saying it is “sovereign and independent”.

But Saturday’s statement added that Taiwan plans to maintain the “cross-strait status quo”, under which it will not officially declare independence from China.

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The message came as a response to an interview Trump gave to Fox News a day earlier, as he departed Beijing following meetings with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

In the interview, Trump said, “I’m not looking to have somebody go independent,” in reference to Taiwan, the self-governing island Beijing claims as its own territory.

The question of Taiwan’s sovereignty has been a fractious issue, stretching back to the Chinese civil war in the 1940s.

While the US does not officially back Taiwan’s claims to independence, successive presidencies have supported the island through arms sales and remarks suggesting the US could defend Taiwan, should it be attacked by China.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump took a more ambivalent approach to defending Taiwan than some of his predecessors.

“You know, we’re supposed to travel 9,500 miles [15,289km] to fight a war. I’m not looking for that. I want them to cool down. I want China to cool down,” Trump said.

“We’re not looking to have wars. If you kept it the way it is, I think China’s going to be OK with that. But we’re not looking to have somebody say, ‘Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us.'”

Trump’s visit to China

The tension between the governments in Taiwan and Beijing loomed large over Trump’s recent diplomatic visit.

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Earlier, Chinese state media had reported Xi told Trump that Taiwan was the “most important issue in China-US relations”.

“If mishandled, the two nations could collide or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-US relationship into a highly perilous situation,” Xi said.

Recounting his exchange with the Chinese leader to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said Xi “feels very strongly” about his opposition to Taiwanese independence.

Trump added that he “made no commitment either way” on the issue.

The US president also indicated he has not yet decided whether he would sign off on a new $11bn arms package to Taiwan, which has already been approved by the US Congress.

“I haven’t approved it yet. We’re going to see what happens,” Trump told Fox News. “I may do it. I may not do it.”

Taiwan says US position ‘remains unchanged’

The US has long maintained a policy of strategic ambiguity on Taiwan, not formally recognising or maintaining ties with the government in Taipei.

Officially, Washington adheres to the “One China” policy, acknowledging — though not affirming — Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China.

The US has also been vague about whether it would come to Taiwan’s defence in the event of military action by China.

In 2022, for instance, Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, seemed to indicate to the news programme 60 Minutes that the US would come to Taiwan’s aid: “Yes, if, in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.”

But Biden’s government walked that statement back, saying there had been no alteration to official US policy.

Still, Washington regularly provides defensive weapons to the island, as required under a 1979 law. The US and Taiwan also maintain close trade ties.

In its statement on Saturday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US officials and Trump have made clear that Washington’s policy “remains unchanged”. It added that Taipei continues to deepen ties with the US.

It further called China’s military threat “the only real insecurity” in the region.

“Arms sales to Taiwan are not only a security commitment to Taiwan,” the statement said, “but also a joint deterrent against regional threats.”

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics has backed opposition lawmaker Andris Kulbergs to replace Evika Silina for the top job after the prime minister resigned over an incident involving Ukrainian drones.

Kulbergs, leader of the United List of smaller parties, which forms the largest opposition bloc in parliament, will take office if lawmakers approve him and his cabinet.

“Considering recent events, I think the new prime minister should come from opposition parties,” President Rinkevics told a news conference on Saturday.

Last weekend, the former Prime Minister Silina fired her defence minister, Andris Spruds, after two Ukrainian drones strayed into Latvia from Russia and exploded at an oil storage facility.

The incident is only the latest in a series of such events in NATO members Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.

The drone incidents “clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defence sector has failed to fulfil its promise of safe skies over our country”, Silina said when explaining Spruds’s forced resignation.

In the following days, The Progressives party, Silina’s left-leaning coalition partner, pulled support from the government and left her without a majority. “I ⁠am resigning, but I am not giving up,” Silina said in a televised statement on Thursday, announcing her resignation.

Silina had been the prime minister since 2023.

President Rinkevics settled on Kulbergs after meeting representatives from all the parties in parliament, reported the Reuters news agency.

The president told reporters he had invited Kulbergs to form a government. If Kulbergs were to succeed, the cabinet lineup would still need to be approved by the parliament.

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Kulbergs said he hoped to create an “enlarged coalition” to administer Latvia until parliamentary elections are held on October 3.

“The president has given me 10 days,” he told reporters on Saturday.

Earlier, on May 7, two Ukrainian drones flew over from Russia, with one of them crashing into a petrol depot in the east of Latvia, causing a fire that was quickly contained.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after speaking with Rinkevics at a summit in Romania on Wednesday that he would send Ukrainian experts to Latvia to help it boost its air defences.