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Conservatives win Iranian elections with lowest turnout in republic’s history

Iranian conservatives have comfortably retained their majority in Parliament in an election marked by the lowest voter turnout in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the first since the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

After three days of counting, the Electoral Commission announced that 245 members of Parliament had been elected in the first round of the legislative elections, the majority of whom are conservatives, reported the official IRNA news agency.

Another 45 seats will be decided in a runoff in April or May, as candidates failed to secure at least 20% of the votes in their constituencies, with 16 of them in Tehran.

Iran held elections for Parliament and the Assembly of Experts on Friday amid popular discontent, disqualification of reformist politicians advocating for gradual openness in the country, and calls for boycott.

Low turnout, yet higher than expected

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Preliminary data from IRNA indicated a turnout of 41%, compared to 42.5% in the previous legislative elections, which was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2016, voter turnout was 61.6%.

This would mark the lowest turnout in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic, although polls had predicted an even lower turnout, possibly as low as 30%.

In Tehran, turnout was reported at 24%, according to reformist outlets like Shargh.

Official turnout figures have not been made public, remaining one of the main uncertainties of the elections, which were held amidst calls for boycott from politicians and activists, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who is currently imprisoned.

A blow to “Iran’s stubborn opponents”

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Despite the low turnout, authorities hailed it as a success.

“This presence, full of passion and understanding, was another blow to Iran’s stubborn opponents after the historic blow they received in last year’s riots,” said President Ebrahim Raisi last Saturday.

The president retained his seat in the Assembly of Experts, which is elected every eight years, with 82% of the vote in the South Khorasan province, where he faced only one other rival.

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International

Trump signs order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to halt federal funding for two public media outlets, PBS television and NPR radio, accusing them of being biased.

NPR and PBS are partially funded by American taxpayers but rely heavily on private donations.

Trump has long maintained a hostile relationship with most media outlets, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people.”

An exception is the conservative Fox News channel, some of whose hosts have played important roles in the administration of the Republican magnate.

“National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive taxpayer funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),” Trump said.

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“Therefore, I direct the CPB board and all executive departments and agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” he added.

The Republican leader argued that “neither of these entities provides a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events to the taxpayer citizens.”

At the end of March, Donald Trump called on Congress to end public funding for these two “horrible and completely biased networks.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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