International
Bolsonaro courts powerful bloc with minister appointment
AFP
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, whose popularity has plummeted recently, on Tuesday named a senator from the largest bloc in congress as his new chief of staff.
Ciro Nogueira, 52, who represents the right-wing and center-right “centrao” (large center) bloc, will take on the role of minister of the civil house, a Cabinet-level position that is equivalent to a chief of staff.
“I have just accepted the honorable invitation from President Jair Bolsonaro to take over the Civil House,” said Nogueira on Twitter during a meeting with the president in Brasilia.
Nogueira is president of the Progressistas (Progressives) party that is among those to be courted recently by Bolsonaro, who ran for election in 2018 by opposing the “old politics” of such parties.
Legislators from the centrao bloc are known to offer votes in exchange for investment in their states, while their support for presidents can be fickle.
For example, many legislators from the bloc initially supported leftist Dilma Rousseff (2011-16) before subsequently voting for her impeachment.
This “give and take” form of governance has led to numerous scandals and corruption investigations over the years.
Bolsonaro spent almost 30 years of his political career with parties in the centrao, but he affiliated himself with the far right PSL when running for president in 2018 on an anti-establishment ticket.
He broke from the PSL just a few months later.
Initially he tried to govern without support from the centrao but his chaotic pandemic management and embroilment in a corruption scandal related to the purchase of vaccines saw his popularity plummet to just 24 percent.
Bolsonaro was thus forced to court the centrao, particularly with a general election just over a year away.
This year, he supported the election of two centrao legislators to head the Chamber of Deputies and Senate.
“I’m from the centrao, I was born here,” Bolsonaro said last week in defense of his imminent appointment of Nogueira.
In the latest opinion polls he has trailed well behind leftist former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010).
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoColombia sees deadliest surge in violence since FARC peace deal
-
International4 days agoNine dead after driver runs over crowd at Vancouver Street Festival
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala sees road blockades amid protests against lawmaker pay hikes
-
International3 days agoConclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
-
International4 days agoKing Charles III expresses deep sadness after Vancouver festival tragedy that left nine dead
-
International3 days agoSpain’s PM calls for calm and patience amid ongoing blackout
-
International3 days agoMexican activist who exposed pornography ring found dead in Veracruz
-
International3 days agoMadrid carries out 286 elevator rescues amid massive blackout
-
International1 day agoVatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
-
International1 day agoKristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
-
Internacionales6 hours agoClashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
-
International6 hours agoMan arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka