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Discontent with federal policies has sparked separatist sentiments in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. On Monday, Probe Research released a poll showing that 22% of Manitoba residents would vote in favor of separating from Canada if an independence referendum were held.

Conducted with interviews of 1,000 people and a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, the survey indicates that up to 70% would vote to remain in Canada. It also reveals that support for separation is strongest in rural areas and among conservative voters.

The results reflect a similar trend in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In these western Canadian provinces, separatist sentiment has grown in recent years, particularly among conservatives frustrated with federal government policies.

That frustration intensified after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won the April 28 election, causing disappointment among conservatives who have been out of power since 2015.

Currently, Alberta — one of Canada’s wealthiest provinces and the source of 84% of the country’s oil production — is the epicenter of the separatist movement. A poll published in late May indicated that 30% of Alberta residents support independence, up four points from 2021.

In fact, Alberta now shows significantly stronger support for separatism than Quebec did when it held independence referendums in 1980 and 1995. This sentiment is growing amid accusations that the federal government is sacrificing Alberta’s prosperity in favor of Ontario and Quebec.

Alberta’s separatist movement plans to hold a referendum in 2026. In May, it unveiled the proposed question for the vote: “Do you agree that the province should become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?”

The proposal gained momentum after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative, moved to lower the requirements for holding referendums and announced she would not oppose its organization. Ahead of the April 28 election, Smith voiced her opposition to a potential Liberal victory and has since justified the western provinces’ frustration following Carney’s win.

Progressive politicians deal a severe blow to President Milei’s party. On Sunday, Peronist candidates won in local elections in the province of Formosa and the city of Rosario, pushing President Javier Milei’s Freedom Advances party into a distant third place.

The results of these provincial elections may be seen as a prelude to the upcoming national legislative elections in October, when Argentina’s far-right will attempt to counter a resurgent Peronist movement, currently undergoing a process of reorganization following former President Cristina Fernandez’s placement under house arrest.

In Santa Fe, voters chose mayors, city council members and local leaders in 365 municipalities. In that province, “United to Change Santa Fe” — a coalition led by Gov. Maximiliano Pullaro’s Radical Civic Union (UCR) — won in 17 of the 19 major cities.

Another surprise came in Rosario, one of the province’s largest cities, where Peronist candidate Juan Monteverde claimed victory with 30.6% of the vote, beating far-right contender Juan Aleart, who received 28.8%. This marks the first Peronist win in Rosario in more than 50 years.

“The only way to save this democracy we have is to participate more and generate projects that try to represent the majority, even knowing that we are different. Because there is a social majority in Rosario, Santa Fe, and Argentina that does not agree with what is happening.”

“Today, the people of Rosario defeated the president, the governor and the mayor,” Monteverde said. “They voted without fear, against the political machines, and they won because there is a social majority that is struggling and disagrees with what is happening. But it lacked a political force to represent it. In Rosario, that force has now emerged.”

Freedom Advances won in just 2 out of 365 districts, securing 34 city council seats. Despite the modest results, Karina Milei — the president’s sister and secretary of the presidency — celebrated the outcome with fanfare.

In Formosa, Peronist Gov. Gildo Insfran cemented his dominance with more than 67% of the vote. His next goal is to push for a constitutional reform that would allow him to run for re-election in 2027. The far-right Freedom Advances party garnered just 11% of the vote.

From her residence in Buenos Aires, Cristina Fernandez spoke with the two Peronist leaders to congratulate them on their victories. “A few minutes ago, I spoke with my comrade, Gov. Gildo Insfran, to congratulate him on the excellent results for Peronism in the election of constitutional convention delegates and provincial lawmakers,” she posted on social media.

Argentina is currently in the midst of a marathon of staggered provincial elections throughout 2025. On Oct. 26, Argentines will vote to renew half of the country’s legislature by electing 24 senators and 127 representatives.

Vatican City, Jun 30 (Prensa Latina) Pope Leo XIV referred to the worsening of the problem of world food security, and asked to move from words to deeds in the fight against this scourge.

In his message to the participants in the 44th edition of the Ministerial Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which is in session in Rome until July 4, the Pontiff said that it is increasingly unlikely that the goal of “Zero Hunger” of the UN 2030 Agenda will be achieved.

“This means that we are far from the fulfillment of the mandate that gave birth in 1945 to this intergovernmental institution,” he said, referring to the FAO, adding that “despite international commitments to food security, it is regrettable that so many of the world's poor continue to lack our daily bread.”

“Political crises, armed conflicts and economic shocks play a central role in worsening the food crisis, hampering humanitarian aid and compromising agricultural production,” he said.

He also alluded to the “great influence on climate change, and vice versa” and considered that “the social injustice caused by natural disasters and the loss of biodiversity must be reversed to achieve a just ecological transition, which puts the environment and people at the center”.

The earth is capable of producing enough food for all human beings, so it is all the more sad and shameful “the continuing tragedy of widespread hunger and malnutrition, which persists in many countries today”, when we even “witness in desolation the iniquitous use of hunger as a weapon of war”.

“Financial resources and innovative technologies are diverted for the sake of eradicating poverty and hunger in the world, to devote them to the manufacture and trade of weapons” so that “never before has it been more urgent than now that we become artisans of peace, working for it for the common good.”

“We must not forget that sooner or later we will have to explain ourselves to future generations, who will receive an inheritance of injustices and inequalities if we do not act wisely now,” he said.

Leo XIV referred to the need to “leave aside sterile rhetoric” and quoted Pope Francis, who tirelessly insisted on the need to smooth out "differences in order to foster a climate of collaboration and mutual trust for the satisfaction of common needs.

It is urgent to move from words to deeds, putting at the center effective measures that allow people to look at their present and their future with confidence and serenity, and not only with resignation, “thus putting an end to the era of slogans and deceitful promises,” the Bishop of Rome said.

Santiago de Chile, Jun 30 (Prensa Latina) Francesca Muñoz, candidate for the presidency of Chile for the Social Christian party, announced today her declination and pledged the support of her political party to the extreme right-wing candidate José Antonio Kast.

The decision was taken following the landslide victory the day before of Jeannette Jara, nominated by the Communist Party of Chile, in the governing coalition's primaries.

Jara won more than 60 percent of the votes, slightly more than double the second place candidate, Carolina Tohá, of the Party for Democracy and supported by Socialists, Radicals and Christian Democrats.

In view of this result, Muñoz, who is a congresswoman and evangelical preacher, announced her support to the Republican with whom, she said, she shares many ideas, among them the radical opposition to the voluntary interruption of pregnancy, whatever the reasons may be.

In declarations to the press, the former presidential aspirant said that she will present her candidacy for reelection to the National Congress for a district in the city of Concepción, capital of Biobío.

Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón has not been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, following her headline-making 2025 Oscar campaign controversy.

The 53-year-old Spanish actor, who made history as the first-ever openly trans individual to be nominated for an Academy Award in any acting category, was notably left off this year’s list of 534 artists and executives to receive the prestigious invitation.

It’s typical of first-time nominees to receive an invite. In fact, Wicked star Ariana Grande, Anora’s Oscar-winning actor Mikey Madison, Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), and Best Supporting Actor winner Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), all of whom landed their first Oscar nomination at the March ceremony, were among the names on the invitation released Thursday.

“We are thrilled to invite this esteemed class of artists, technologists, and professionals to join the Academy,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang. “Through their commitment to filmmaking and to the greater movie industry, these exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community.”

Gascón’s Emilia Pérez co-star Zoe Saldaña, who won Best Supporting Actress at the latest ceremony, was also not on the list as she is already a member.

According to the organization’s rules, an Oscar nomination gives a person automatic consideration for Academy membership. For the Acting Branch, it exempts them from having to meet the rules of “a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standardsof the Academy.”

Gascón’s absence from the list makes her the second first-time Best Actress nominee from the past 10 years to not be invited immediately following their nomination, according to TheWrap. Roma’s Yalitza Aparicio, 31, who earned a Best Actress nomination in 2019, was not offered AMPAS membership until 2020.

While the Academy has not given a public statement about Gascón’s exclusion from the invitees, it comes months after her Oscar campaign fell apart.

A week after her historic Oscar nomination, the actor faced accusations of racism and Islamophobia when old social media posts resurfaced.

She later deleted the tweets, issuing an apology “to those I have caused pain.”

“I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” Gascón said in a statement at the time. “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”

The controversy didn’t stop there. The next month, she gave a tearful, hour-long interview with CNN en Español, insisting that she was “not a racist.”

Still, Netflix distanced itself from Gascón, removing her from promotional emails and editing the film’s posters to give Saldaña more prominence.

While it remained uncertain if she would even attend the 2025 Oscars, she did make a surprise appearance after skipping the red carpet.

In the months since, Gascón has landed her first role post-scandal in a 19th-century-set Spanish western titledTrinidad, directed by Laura Alvea and José Ortuño.

The summit reflected NATO’s shift toward U.S.-centric theatrics, with Europe’s core concerns largely pushed aside. The two-day NATO summit that concluded Wednesday in the Netherlands will be remembered less for its policy outcomes than for a flippant moment that dominated headlines: the now-infamous “Daddy” joke.

During the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump likened Israel and Iran to unruly children, while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, in a display of flattery, compared Trump to a “dad” stepping in to discipline them. “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop,” Rutte said.

Trump appeared quite pleased with Rutte’s “Daddy” nickname, telling reporters at a later press conference Wednesday that the remark was meant “very affectionately.” “Daddy, you’re my Daddy,” Trump mimicked.

Rutte later defended the comment, but only doubled down on the flattery, calling Trump a “good friend” and insisting that his military strike on Iran “deserves all the praise.”

While the “Daddy” joke went viral, the actual summit yielded little of substance. Media outlets noted that the fawning “Daddy” joke ended up stealing the spotlight, underscoring a sobering reality: The summit reflected NATO’s shift toward U.S.-centric theatrics, with Europe’s core concerns largely pushed aside.

The final communique, just five paragraphs long, was the shortest in NATO’s history and focused heavily on military spending, at Washington’s insistence. Britain and the Netherlands indeed announced new military aid packages for Ukraine.

However, these commitments were made bilaterally rather than through NATO’s collective framework. Notably, the summit’s final communique omitted the 2024 declaration that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership was “irreversible,” signaling a potential shift in the alliance’s stance.

In their place came a symbolic commitment to boost defense spending, largely intended to appease Trump. NATO members agreed to raise military spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, more than doubling the previous 2-percent guideline.

Yet even as Trump made clear that the United States would not be bound by the new target, he insisted that others must comply. Spain, Slovakia, and Belgium openly questioned the feasibility of such increases, citing domestic constraints and economic priorities.

Amid chuckles and laughters prompted by the “Daddy” jest, a fact about NATO is evident: Europe has to give in from time to time while Washington never forgets to take advantage of the situation.