International

The Foreign Minister of Uruguay assures that Venezuela is consolidating itself as “a dictatorship”

The Foreign Minister of Uruguay, Omar Paganini, assured on Tuesday that Venezuela is consolidating itself as “a dictatorship” and that the electoral process of that country “has been completely distorted.”

This was assured at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which he emphasized that “the worst forecasts” were confirmed after the disqualification of María Corina Machado and that Corina Yoris could not register with the National Electoral Council.

“Yesterday the Government of Uruguay along with many countries in South America issued a statement very concerned about what is happening regarding the electoral process in Venezuela and unfortunately today the worst forecasts have been confirmed,” the chancellor stressed.

In that way, he referred to the statement in which the Governments of Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay expressed their “serious concern” about the “persistent impediments” in the registration of Venezuela’s presidential candidates before the National Electoral Council.

“They let some candidates register that evidently the Venezuelan regime has no concern that they can gather a flow of votes,” said Paganini, who recalled that “those who mean a risk” could not do so.

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“The Venezuelan electoral process has clearly been completely distorted and unless these things are reversed, it does not admit a surprise but it also indicates that Venezuela is consolidated as a dictatorship that moves away from any possible democratic practice,” he emphasized.

Asked about whether Uruguay will recognize the result of that country’s elections, Paganini explained that that will be seen when the time comes, but said that the situation is very distorted.

“The elections are for people to choose between alternatives. The elections are not for people to choose what the Government of the day wants. It is not the attitude of the Venezuelan regime and therefore it is consolidated in a dictatorial practice,” he said.

Beyond this, the minister said that Uruguay understands it as “valuable” to have diplomatic representation in Venezuela, because relations are with countries and not with governments.

Machado ratified on Tuesday that he will remain on the electoral route ahead of the presidential elections on July 28, without explaining how he will do it, given the impossibility of the Platform of Democratic Unity (PUD) to register Yoris within the deadline established by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which ended on Monday.

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On the other hand, President Nicolás Maduro made official on Monday, before the CNE, his candidacy for the elections of July 28, in which he will compete for a third term in power, which he has occupied since 2013.

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.”

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.

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.