International

Borrell: the EU will support Ukraine until Putin decides to stop the war

The High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, said on Sunday that the Twenty-seven will support Ukraine “until (Vladimir) Putin decides to stop the war,” something that will not happen “soon,” but will probably have to wait for the elections in the United States to know the future of the conflict.

In a panel of the special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which started today in Riyadh and lasts until tomorrow, Borrell reiterated the EU’s commitment to support Ukraine in the war against Russia regardless of the budgetary investment that this represents.

“We will continue to support the people in Ukraine (…) There are those who ask how much money we will spend on the war. We pledged to support Ukraine to resist until Putin decides to stop the war, but I don’t think it will happen soon,” said the top representative in EU Security Policy.

In his speech, Borrell recalled that “Putin began the war” and pointed out that the Russian president “will wait for the United States elections” to consider the future or the possibility of ending the conflict that began a little more than two years ago.

Regarding the length of the war between Russia and Ukraine in time, he showed his concern that something similar will happen in the Middle East and referred to the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, another example of “a war between two parties for the same territory where the only solution is to share.”

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And he asks “not to open Pandora’s box of new wars” in the face of the growth of international tensions resulting from the new world order.

Borrell summarized the changes that international relations have undergone in recent years, in which he went from talking about east-west and north-south blocks, to talking about “north, south, east and west.”

“There is no clear understanding of what the world is like today. Competition is fine, but the problem is not to compete, but confrontation and there is more confrontation because there are more poles and fewer rules. Power has been redistributed, there are more actors and fewer rules. That’s why there is disorder,” he explained to the audience.

According to Borrell, the main consequence of this new world order is a redistribution of powers that has changed the relationship of forces and many of it have been directed towards Asia, while the “north and west has decreased in importance” while countries such as Saudi Arabia and China grow.

In this sense, he pointed out that “war is not only with bombs, but with narratives” and stressed the importance of geography to establish relations and alliances, sometimes relationships of dependency that are used against the partners themselves.

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“Today we need more cooperation (…) We have to respect the existing rules and change those that do not adapt to today’s world. Many things work because there is a gap between what we have to do and what we do,” he added.

Borrell admitted that there is something true in the caricature they make of the European Union: dependence on Russian gas (which went from 45% to 10% since the outbreak of the war), on the security of NATO led by the United States and on trade with China.

But it was clear that that is going to change: “We have to adapt to the new world. Being more responsible with one’s own security and resources (…) New countries have shown an incredible capacity for technological innovation. More union in Europe to survive in a world of giants and take into account the priorities of others” for self-development.

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.