International
Duque hopes trial will unveil Venezuela’s ‘drug dictatorship’

AFP
Colombia President Ivan Duque said Monday he hopes the trial of a suspected money launderer extradited to the United States will shed light on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s “drug dictatorship.”
Businessman Alex Saab appeared in court in Florida on Monday after being extradited on Saturday to the United States from Cape Verde, where he had been detained since June 2020.
Saab, a Colombian national, and his business partner Alvaro Pulido are charged in the US with running a network that exploited food aid destined for Venezuela, an oil-rich nation mired in an acute economic crisis.
“I hope that all the support Alex Saab gives to the US court will also show what there is behind this network, and it’s a drug dictatorship that tried to use this network to launder money,” Duque said during an official visit to Sao Paulo.
Duque is one of the fiercest critics of Maduro.
Venezuela’s government reacted with fury on Sunday to news of Saab’s extradition, calling off the latest round of talks with the Venezuelan opposition in Mexico.
Duque has often accused Maduro’s regime of drug-trafficking to raise money, and also of harboring armed Colombian rebels on its soil.
“I also hope that (a trial) will serve to consolidate the accusations being made by Colombia for some time, which is the collusion of Maduro’s regime with terrorist groups and drug-traffickers,” said Duque.
Experts believe Saab could shed light on hidden financial transactions between Caracas and allied countries.
However he has indicated he will not cooperate with the US court proceedings.
Venezuela’s opposition says Saab, 49, who has Venezuelan nationality, was a frontman doing shady deals for Maduro’s government.
Saab and Pulido are alleged to have moved $350 million out of Venezuela into accounts they controlled in the US and other countries. They risk up to 20 years in prison.
Saab, who was indicted in July 2019 in Miami for money laundering, was traveling on a Venezuelan diplomatic passport when detained in Cape Verde.
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.
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