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European leaders offer warm farewell to Starmer

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European leaders offer warm farewell to Starmer

Starmer, the first non-Conservative prime minister since Britain voted to leave the European Union, rejected suggestions that it could rejoin the 27-member bloc, but he had pushed to improve relations after the trauma of Brexit

International News via Reuters:

Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his departure on Monday amid plunging approval ratings, but there were warm words from European leaders who had generally found him easier to work with than his recent predecessors.

Starmer, the first non-Conservative prime minister since Britain voted to leave the European Union, rejected suggestions that it could rejoin the 27-member bloc, but he had pushed to improve relations after the trauma of Brexit.

He also kept up Britain’s central role in the region’s support for Ukraine, alongside his fellow “E3” leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on the social media platform X. “European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.”

STARMER ONE OF MANY TO SUFFER POPULARITY CRISIS

Starmer came to office in 2024, sweeping aside a deeply unpopular government that presided over a slumping economy and a nation still divided by the bitter Brexit referendum campaign.

But like other European leaders, Starmer struggled to win over voters disillusioned with mainstream parties and increasingly drawn to insurgent anti-establishment parties that promised to shake up politics with bold measures.

Away from home, his perceived lack of charisma appeared to matter less than it did at home, where he was frequently accused of lacking conviction.

“I want to acknowledge the significant role Keir played in resetting the Irish-British relationship as well as relations between the UK and the European Union during his time as prime minister,” Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a statement. 

Starmer’s support for Ukraine maintained the line followed by Conservative predecessors such as Boris Johnson who threw London’s support behind Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after Russia’s assault on Kyiv in 2022.

Zelenskiy thanked Starmer “for always being in touch, always engaged, and always striving to do what is needed” and said their conversations had always been “filled with real substance”.

“Keir, you are always a welcome guest in Ukraine,” he said on X.

A German government spokesperson said Starmer had always been “a reliable and close partner”.

However, there was no immediate personal statement from Merz, himself struggling with record-low ratings that have prompted press speculation about his own future.

Across the Atlantic, the farewell was less warm.

U.S. President Donald Trump offered a dismissive send-off, announcing a day before the resignation that Starmer would leave, and saying he had “failed badly” on the key issues of immigration and energy, where Trump disagrees sharply with British government policy.

Russia, which considers Britain one of its main enemies, not least for supporting Ukraine, claimed credit for Starmer’s departure through a post on X by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

“We did this jointly,” it read, “by exposing Starmer’s warmongering and consistently wrong policies on immigration, crime, energy and economy.”

Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Kevin Liffey

Bermuda secure hard-fought ninth-place finish with victory over Suriname

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Bermuda secure hard-fought ninth-place finish with victory over Suriname

Bermuda’s women’s tennis team secured a hard-fought ninth-place finish at the Billie Jean King Cup Americas Group III tournament following a tense 2-1 victory over Suriname in El Salvador.

Entering the 9th to 10th classification play-off in Santa Tecla, the four-woman squad of Asia-Leigh Hollis, Alexcie Burrows, Nadhira Durham, and player-captain Shelby Madeiros knew there was little room for error.

Captain Madeiros set the perfect tone in the opening singles rubber, producing a commanding performance to sweep past Suriname’s Faith Bab. In a brisk 48-minute encounter, Madeiros’ tactical precision earned her a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 victory to hand Bermuda the early advantage.

Suriname hit back immediately, however. Kayla Currie proved too strong for Bermuda’s Nadhira Durham, leveling the tie with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win in just 48 minutes to set up a winner-takes-all doubles decider.

With the tie hanging in the balance, Madeiros returned to the clay alongside Burrows to face the Surinamese tandem of Bab and Cybelle Ferrier.

Under immense pressure, the Bermudian duo showed superb chemistry and resilience, breaking their opponents at crucial junctures to claim a tight straight-sets victory, 6-4, 6-4.

The decisive doubles win caps off a battling week for the island nation, ensuring they finish their regional campaign on a triumphant note.

Golden glory for Bermuda’s Yushae Andrade in Birmingham

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Golden glory for Bermuda’s Yushae Andrade in Birmingham

Bermuda’s Yushae Andrade produced an outstanding performance of tactical precision to capture the BC1 women’s gold medal at the Birmingham 2026 World Boccia Challenger in the United States.

On an electric final day of individual competition at the Lakeshore Foundation, the elite Bermudian athlete bounced back from an early group-stage defeat to land atop the podium, securing vital world ranking points on her journey toward the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.

Andrade’s path to glory in Women’s BC1 Pool A required immense mental fortitude. Facing South Korea’s Sohyeon Park, Andrade engineered a dramatic 4-4 draw under pressure to keep her championship aspirations alive.

That gritty result propelled her into a high-stakes gold medal showdown against Yi-Ting Tsai of Chinese Taipei. With everything on the line, Andrade executed a clinical game plan, dictating the distance to seal a historic 4-2 victory and claim the coveted gold.

There was to be no double celebration for the Bermudian contingent, however, as teammate Omar Hayward endured a frustrating afternoon in Men’s BC1 Pool A, falling to a 5-2 defeat against Brazil’s seasoned strategist Jos Chagas.

Despite Hayward’s setback, the headline belongs firmly to Andrade, whose golden triumph underlines her status as one of the premier boccia talents in the region.

New Balance Nationals: Outerbridge claims fifth in blistering 200m final

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New Balance Nationals: Outerbridge claims fifth in blistering 200m final

Bermudian sprinting prospect Miles Outerbridge narrowly missed out on a place on the podium after storming to a fifth-place finish in the showpiece final of the Championship Boys’ 200m at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor.

The Montverde Academy speedster carried his superb summer form onto the historic track at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, proving he can match strides with the very best high school sprinters in the United States.

Outerbridge laid down an emphatic marker in the opening round, executing a flawless bend to take the victory in Heat 5. Stopping the clock in an incredibly swift 21.04 seconds, his dominant preliminary performance booked his spot in the final as the third-fastest qualifier overall.

Returning to the track for the highly anticipated final later in the evening, Outerbridge found himself in a fierce, blanket finish where a fraction of a second separated the top five athletes.

Blasting out of the blocks, the young Bermudian fought valiantly all the way to the line, clocking a world-class 21.09 seconds to cross the line in fifth place overall—just short of the top-three podium spots.

The performance wraps up an immensely successful weekend in Pennsylvania for Outerbridge. Having already finished 11th overall in a dense 100m field, his top-five finish in the 200m further cements his reputation as one of the region’s most exciting young track assets before he transitions to the collegiate level with the University of Houston.

Opinion: No heart should grieve alone

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Opinion: No heart should grieve alone

Nonprofit Alliance of Bermuda Third Sector Spotlight: The Gina Spence Program

Bermuda’s Grief & Loss Awareness Day (BGLAD 2026) 

In Bermuda, there are children growing up without a parent because of gun and gang violence. 

There are husbands and wives adjusting to life after loss. Parents grieving children. Families trying to cope with illness, trauma, addiction, divorce, financial hardship, and other life-changing events. 

Grief touches all of us at some point. Yet many people carry it quietly and alone. 

Over the past two decades, our island has experienced ongoing trauma connected to gun and gang-related homicide. While public attention often focuses on the incident itself, the grief does not end when the headlines fade. It continues to affect families, friends, schools, neighbourhoods and entire communities. 

At the Gina Spence Program, we believe no heart should grieve alone. 

Today, more than 100 children are supported through the Gina Spence Program’s Champions Program after losing a parent to gun and gang-related homicide. These children are not statistics. They are young people learning how to navigate life after unimaginable loss while still trying to heal, learn, dream and build their futures. 

Our mission is to bridge critical gaps in grief and loss support within Bermuda by fostering resilience, healing, and hope. We believe healing becomes possible when individuals feel seen, supported, and connected to compassionate care. 

Through our Healing Hearts Program, we provide accessible grief and loss counselling for individuals and families. Through our Champions Program, we provide wraparound services and long-term support for children impacted by homicide. Through GriefConnect, we work with schools, workplaces, churches and community organisations to help Bermuda become more understanding of trauma and its impact and build a more grief-informed Bermuda. 

This work matters because grief affects every part of life. 

When grief is left unaddressed, it can affect mental health, relationships, school performance, work, and overall well-being. It can show up as anxiety, depression, anger, isolation, addiction and emotional distress. 

That is why early intervention matters. 

Annual Christmas Gift of Giving Distribution (CGOG) 
 

Over the past year, the Gina Spence Program delivered more than 300 clinical counselling sessions and provided over 200 fully subsidised sessions to individuals and families who otherwise may not have been able to access support. More than 300 community members also participated in grief awareness and educational initiatives designed to build greater understanding and compassion around grief and loss. 

The impact of long-term support can also be seen through the Champions Program, where 96 per cent of participants graduate from high school, 91 per cent engage in sports or other positive activities, and 86 per cent participate in community service. 

These numbers represent something powerful. They show what can happen when young people are given support, stability and the opportunity to heal. 

But grief support cannot rest solely with the third sector or community organizations alone. 

As a society, we all have a role to play. We need schools that recognise the signs of grief in students. We need workplaces that understand the impact loss can have on employees. We need families, faith communities, healthcare professionals and community leaders willing to talk openly about grief, healing and emotional well-being. 

The encouraging reality is that healing is possible when people are given the proper support. Every day, we see individuals and families take meaningful steps forward when they are given the tools and understanding they need. 

Annual Each One Reach One Back To School Distribution (EORO) 

The Gina Spence Program remains committed to working alongside schools, healthcare providers, workplaces and community organisations to strengthen grief support across Bermuda. 

Grief is a human experience that will touch all of us at some point in life. How we choose to respond to one another during those moments matters deeply. Together, we can build a community where people feel supported rather than isolated during some of life’s most difficult moments. 

Because no heart should grieve alone. 

Lindo’s donates nearly $28k to Bermuda Diabetes Association

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Lindo’s donates nearly $28k to Bermuda Diabetes Association

The event marks the biggest fundraising event of the year for the Bermuda Diabetes Association and this year’s funds will go towards supporting the charity’s educational programmes and free health screenings

Dante Leverock, Wellness Coordinator at Allshores; Sara Bosch de Noya, Head of Diabetes Education; Zach Moniz, Manager at Lindo’s; Lori Rockhead, Executive Director of the Bermuda Diabetes Association and Lucy Monkman, Office Manager at Sompo. Photo: Supplied

The Bermuda Diabetes Association received a cash boost of nearly $28,000 from this year’s Lindos-to-Lindo’s fundraising event. 

The BDA said the funds will go towards their work on prevention, early detection, education and affordable access to care. 

Diabetes affects approximately one in eight Bermudian adults and the same risk applies for developing Type 2 diabetes. 

Over 1,100 participants came out to enjoy either the 10k competitive run, a 4-mile competitive walk or a 4-mile non-competitive fun run/walk on March 8th. 

Zach Moniz, Manager at Lindo’s and Lori Rockhead, Executive Director of the Bermuda Diabetes Association expressed gratitude for the contributions to support the event year on year. 

Mr. Moniz said: “More than a quarter of a century and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, we’re so pleased to see that this event still brings out the best in our community.

“We’re proud to have raised almost $28,000 this year for the Bermuda Diabetes Association and we look forward to continuing to support their mission of reducing the prevalence of diabetes and improving the lives of all people affected by the condition.”

The course started at Lindo’s Family Foods in Warwick and ended at Lindo’s Family Foods in Devonshire.

Thirteen dead, dozens injured, after blast inside Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex

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Thirteen dead, dozens injured, after blast inside Qatar’s Ras Laffan complex

Liquefied natural gas facilities were not impacted by the explosion, Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said

International News via Reuters:

Thirteen people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion at a gas processing facility inside Qatar’s massive Ras Laffan industrial complex, Qatar’s energy minister said on Monday, one of the deadliest gas industry accidents in more than two decades.

Liquefied natural gas facilities were not impacted by the explosion, Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said. State-owned QatarEnergy is working to restart LNG operations at Ras Laffan, which were halted after an Iranian attack in March.

Authorities said a “technical accident” occurred at the Barzan local gas processing facility on Sunday evening. Plant production had been completely stopped since December 2025 due to urgent maintenance requirements and it was first restarted only two days ago, Kaabi told reporters.

The last comparable disaster was a 2004 explosion at Algeria’s Skikda LNG complex that killed 27 people. None of the 66 people reported injured and receiving medical treatment after the Barzan explosion was in a life-threatening condition, Kaabi said.

The people killed were Indian and Pakistani, he added.

QatarEnergy has started a full investigation into the cause of the accident, which Kaabi stressed was not sabotage or hostile in nature and posed no risk to the environment.

“QatarEnergy LNG facilities, Ras Laffan port and other logistical operations in Ras Laffan remain unaffected as a result of this explosion and fire and that will not affect in any way our export capabilities,” he added.

Qatar, which hosts a major U.S. military base, has come under repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks during the Iran war, which trapped around 20% of global LNG supply in the Gulf before some shipments resumed recently.

The vast Ras Laffan LNG production and export site had annual production capacity of 77 million metric ​tons before an Iranian strike in early March damaged two trains, cutting 17% of production. QatarEnergy’s CEO told Reuters the damage would take three to five years to repair.

RAMP-UP CHALLENGES

A number of oil and gas production facilities have shut in production during the Iran war, and the incident highlights the challenges Gulf producers face as they ramp up output.

Barzan supplies pipeline gas for local industry and power generation and can produce liquefied petroleum gas and other products for export.

The war also forced QatarEnergy to evacuate about 10,000 workers from offshore rigs and onshore processing plants. The company reported no injuries during the March missile attack.

Reporting by Andrew Mills, Menna Alaa El-Din, Ahmed Tolba and Marwa Rashad; additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah, Tala Ramadan, and Emily Chow; writing by Maha El Dahan and Marwa Rashad; editing by Jason Neely and Nia Williams

Can anyone fix Britain? Regular change of PM a symptom of UK’s malaise

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Can anyone fix Britain? Regular change of PM a symptom of UK’s malaise

Starmer, who won one of the biggest landslides in British political history, is out after less than two years

International News via Reuters:

On Monday morning, Keir Starmer emerged into the sunshine in Downing Street flanked by his staff and wife, his voice thick with emotion as he said he was no longer the right person to lead Britain.

Starmer, who won one of the biggest landslides in British political history, is out after less than two years. The sixth leader to quit in 10 years. The highest rate of political turnover in almost two centuries.

Like his predecessors, Starmer failed to stem popular anger over living standards, which have stagnated since the 2008 financial crash, while ballooning national debt due to global shocks like the COVID pandemic has shackled government spending. 

The failure to tackle illegal immigration has also sown deep political divisions. 

Anthony Seldon, a historian who has charted the fortunes of UK prime ministers in books such as “The Impossible Office”, said Britain was in a very deep hole after Starmer and predecessors such as Liz Truss and Boris Johnson failed to inspire confidence and trust by setting out a clear narrative.

Referring to Starmer’s likely successor, he told Reuters: “If Andy Burnham fails as prime minister, the outlook for Britain is bleak.”  

ONCE A PILLAR OF STRENGTH

Britain was once seen as a pillar of political and economic stability, home to leaders such as Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair whose combined 21 years in power helped reshape modern Britain.

But the global financial crisis hammered Britain, which was hugely reliant on an outsized financial sector for its economic growth, while the public sector austerity that followed left the country ill-prepared for what came next. 

The last prime minister to win an election outright, without the support of another party, and to serve a full term was Blair between 2001 and 2005. Where once Britain mocked Italy’s ever-changing roll call of leaders, it now looks at Giorgia Meloni with envy. She is set to become the longest-serving head of government in the history of the Italian Republic with nearly four years in power. 

While many analysts link Britain’s instability to the Brexit vote 10 years ago this week to leave the European Union, Jill Rutter, a former finance ministry official and a senior fellow at the Institute of Government (IfG) think tank, said it started with the crash.

“There has just been a general sense that we don’t see our lives getting better and we don’t see the lives of our children getting better,” she said. “And each government since has seemed to be unable to change that.”

In 2016, Britain ripped up its long-term foreign policy model by voting to leave the EU, reigniting the independence movement in Scotland, where the electorate had voted to remain.

Its financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine also pushed national debt levels to just below 100% of GDP. 

While the likes of Japan, Italy, the United States and France all have higher debt to GDP ratios, Britain has higher borrowing costs in part due to sticky inflation and concern about its reliance on foreign investors to fund its deficit.

That constraint on spending has hit living standards badly.    

Data in 2025 from supermarket Asda and the Centre for Economics and Business Research showed that while average real disposable income was rising in the UK, the lowest-earning 40% had less spending power then than they did in 2021.

WHY NOTHING WORKS

Sam Freedman, a former government adviser, argued in his recent book “Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It”, that Britain was too centralised and its key offices of state too small to cope.

On top of that the IfG’s Rutter and Roger Gale, one of Britain’s longest-serving lawmakers who entered parliament in 1983, said the culture of British politics has got worse. Rolling television channels and social media force politicians to make decisions at speed.

Gale, a Conservative lawmaker, told Reuters government needed to slow down. “There is too much legislation. A lot of it is bad and a lot of it is badly drafted,” he said.  

“We need more grown up government.” 

Starmer has been criticised for arriving in government without much of a plan on how he would tackle everything from soaring electricity costs to the need to spur investment, improve the health service and spend on defence. 

His rival Burnham, a career politician who was most recently the mayor of Greater Manchester, could potentially take over in a matter of weeks, and will need to install a cabinet and set out a clear vision for the country. 

Rishi Sunak, the last Conservative prime minister who lost the 2024 election to Starmer, said Burnham needed a plan. 

“Without that, he will become yet another prime minister lying awake fretting about why it isn’t working,” he wrote in the Sunday Times.  

Reporting by Kate Holton and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Jon Boyle

Ebola infects more than 1,000 in Congo, spreads to kill toddler in new camp

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Ebola infects more than 1,000 in Congo, spreads to kill toddler in new camp

The confirmed death count stood at 254, Congo’s government said late on Sunday, more than a month after the declaration of the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain that has no approved ⁠treatment or vaccine

International News via Reuters:

Ebola has now infected more than 1,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in an outbreak that has spread to a third displacement camp and killed an 18-month-old girl, official reports showed.

The confirmed death count stood at 254, Congo’s government said late on Sunday, more than a month after the declaration of the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain that has no approved ⁠treatment or vaccine.

The speed of its spread across three provinces of eastern Congo has prompted warnings from African health experts that the outbreak could eventually surpass the epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa from 2014 to 2016.

The girl was tested for Ebola on June 14 in the Hungbe displacement camp, and died before the positive result came back the next day, a Congolese health report seen by Reuters showed.

She had developed a fever more than a week earlier, and was carried on foot to two different health centres and given antibiotics before finally getting tested, a Congolese official and the report said.

At least 107 people came into contact with her, including family members, healthcare workers and people from other camps, it added.

There was a shortage of facilities to isolate patients, Dr Emmanuel Musingusi Bulemu, a Congolese health official in the surrounding Nizi zone, said.

“We need to separate these patients from the community because they risk infecting others but where can we put them?,” he added.

There have also been two confirmed cases in Kpangba, another displacement camp in the same area housing people who have fled decades of conflict between armed groups, militias and the army.

At least 30 people have died in a camp in another displacement site in Bunia.

So far, nearly a fifth of confirmed cases have been children, according to preliminary data from the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF.

A much smaller number of cases have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda.

Reporting by Nilutpal Timsina and Emma FargeEditing by Alexander Winning and Andrew Heavens

Global business leaders back faster electrification shift

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Global business leaders back faster electrification shift

Companies including Nestle and Ikea on Monday urged governments to make electrification central to their economic strategies, to help reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel costs and bolster energy security

International News via Reuters:

MORE THAN 100 COMPANIES INCLUDING NESTLE, UBER URGE GOVERNMENTS TO MAKE ELECTRIFICATION CENTRAL TO ECONOMIC STRATEGY

Companies including Nestle and Ikea on Monday urged governments to make electrification central to their economic strategies, to help reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel costs and bolster energy security.

In an open statement seen by Reuters and backed by 112 businesses from sectors including industrials, consumer goods and healthcare, they said exposure to fossil fuel-driven price shocks undermined competitiveness.

The group, with combined annual revenues of about $1.5 trillion, also included Iberdrola, Volvo Cars and Uber, Mahindra Group, Nikon Corporation, and Levi Strauss.

“Continued reliance on volatile fuel markets exposes economies to disruptions that drive price spikes, destabilise supply chains and delay investment,” said the statement, coordinated by the We Mean Business Coalition and the Global Renewables Alliance. 

However, making the shift would depend heavily on clear and predictable government policy and reforms, including improving electricity market design, investing in grids and speeding up permitting, it added.

As many governments and companies reassess their energy strategies in response to price spikes, most recently those linked to the Iran conflict, the statement said volatility can translate into “persistent uncertainty”, higher operating costs and weaker competitiveness.

The intervention comes at the start of London Climate Action Week, with more than 75,000 people expected to attend 1,000-plus events, including leading policymakers, investors and company executives. 

It also aligns with a push by Turkey, the hosts of the COP31 climate talks in November, for countries to agree a global target for electricity to supply 35% of the world’s energy demand by 2035.

Many of the technologies required to electrify key sectors such as transport, buildings and industry are already commercially available, and would help to lower overall energy demand, the statement said.

“To reach the required scale, the transition to electrification notably needs to be accelerated through predictable and enabling policy frameworks,” said Kim Hellström, Senior Sustainability Climate Manager at retailer H&M.

A poll released last week said 90% of business leaders expected their operations to be electrified within a decade.

Reporting by Simon Jessop; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Black Jack 100 claims blistering line honours in Newport Bermuda Race

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Black Jack 100 claims blistering line honours in Newport Bermuda Race

The historic 635-nautical-mile Newport Bermuda Race has been conquered at exceptional speed, with the formidable super-maxi Black Jack 100 arriving first to claim line honours.

After an incredible offshore sprint, the 100-foot vessel sliced through the Atlantic to cross the finish line off St. David’s in 1 day, 11 hours, 26 minutes, and 46 seconds. While falling just 48 minutes short of the absolute race record, the crew, led by Ramon Vos and Tristan Le Brun, celebrated wildly as they arrived in the pitch darkness off Bermuda.

Owned by Dutch billionaire Remon Vos, the yacht is purpose-built for outright speed and already holds a legendary reputation in prestigious ocean races worldwide.

The triumphant finish was met with raucous cheers and smiles, sealing an outstanding passage to the “Onion Patch” and marking a remarkable opening performance for the 2026 fleet.

Spain’s ex-transport minister sentenced to 24 years for corruption

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Spain’s ex-transport minister sentenced to 24 years for corruption

Abalos was convicted of offences including criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling

International News via Reuters:

Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday sentenced former Transport Minister Jose Luis Abalos to 24 years in prison for corruption, marking the first verdict in a series of scandals affecting the ruling Socialist Party.

Abalos was convicted of offences including criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement and influence peddling, linked to the rigging of public contracts for medical supplies such as face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was in office.

His aide, Koldo Garcia, was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

Businessman Victor de Aldama received a four-and-a-half-year sentence, but the court suspended the prison term in recognition of his cooperation in uncovering the scheme, on condition that he does not reoffend, submits biannual activity reports and completes one year of community service.

The trial concerns one of  a slew of graft cases involving the entourage of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of Europe’s few remaining leftist leaders, who came to power eight years ago by ousting a corruption-plagued centre-right government on the promise of cleaning up politics.

While he is under fire even from allies, Sanchez himself has not been named in any of the cases and has said they are a part of a campaign to oust him.

Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Andrei Khalip

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