Costa Rica held elections amid concerns about a potential shift towards authoritarianism, while internationally, other significant events unfolded, including a deadly Russian strike in Ukraine, a move by Mexico to address pollution, and a proposal by SpaceX to launch a massive satellite constellation.
In Costa Rica, voters went to the polls on Sunday to elect a president and 57 members of congress, according to The Guardian. The election was largely influenced by growing insecurity and warnings about a possible authoritarian turn in a nation historically viewed as a model of liberal democracy in the region. Laura Fernández, the current president's hardline candidate, was expected to win the first round, garnering 40% of the vote in polls. Crime was a major concern for many voters as criminal groups fought for control of lucrative territories.
Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine, twelve miners were killed in a Russian drone strike, DTEK, the country's largest private energy firm, reported. According to BBC World, the miners were traveling in a bus after their shift in the Dnipropetrovsk region when the attack occurred on Sunday. State Emergency Services indicated that at least 15 people were injured. Separately, at least two other people were killed and nine injured in other Russian attacks overnight and on Sunday, including six people hurt when a drone struck a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia. Two women giving birth were among the victims, BBC World noted.
In other news, Mexico announced a comprehensive strategy to combat industrial pollution following investigations by The Guardian that revealed high levels of contamination in a neighborhood near a factory processing US toxic waste. The government planned to implement a range of tactics, including fines of 4.8 million against a plant processing US toxic waste.
On the technology front, Elon Musk's SpaceX applied to launch one million satellites into Earth's orbit to power artificial intelligence (AI), BBC Technology reported. The application claimed that "orbital data centres" were the most cost and energy-efficient way to meet the increasing demand for AI computing power. SpaceX argued that processing needs due to the expanding use of AI were already outpacing "terrestrial capabilities." The proposed launch would drastically increase the number of SpaceX satellites in orbit, adding to its existing Starlink network of nearly 10,000 satellites.
In Washington D.C., President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the Kennedy Center would close for a two-year renovation beginning on July 4th "in honor of the 250th Anniversary of our Country," according to BBC World. This announcement followed several artists cancelling performances at the institution after it was reportedly renamed the Trump Kennedy Center. Shortly after taking office, Trump replaced several board members with allies, who then voted to make him chairman of the board, the BBC reported.
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