International
The trial against Daniel Sancho in Thailand concludes and the reading of the sentence is set for August 29
The trial against the Spaniard Daniel Sancho, accused of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, concluded this Thursday in Thailand with a plea from the accused after a trial of about a month.
The last hearing of the trial against Sancho concluded this Thursday around 11:00 local time (04.00 GMT) in the Provincial Court of Samui (southern Thailand), a day before the date initially scheduled for the end of the process, which has been held behind closed doors since last April 9.
Although initially the magistrate gave a month for the parties to present final arguments in writing from now on, the defense asked to extend that period to two months because they have to translate it, which the magistrate authorized and delayed the reading of the sentence.
During today’s hearing, Sancho made a final plea of about 45 minutes, which he had requested himself.
The last session of the trial is held after Sancho finished the eve of testifying, especially in Spanish but also in English, with difficulties in translating into Thai, and after answering in two consecutive hearings to the questions of the defense and the Prosecutor’s Office.
The trial, which has been held in the midst of enormous media attention and which has had a total of twelve sessions and about 35 witnesses, with only a dozen on behalf of the defense, was attended by Sancho’s father, actor Rodolfo Sancho, and the accused’s mother, investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo.
Likewise, representatives of the Embassy of Spain in Thailand have attended the hearings, a usual protocol since it is a compatriot accused of a crime that can be punished with up to the death penalty, although the Asian country barely applies it.
The Spaniard is also accused of the concealment of the body, for the dismemberment of Arrieta, whose remains were scattered in several places on the island, including the sea, and of the destruction of other people’s documentation, by the Colombian’s passport.
Sancho pleaded not guilty to the premeditated murder, the crime that carries the maximum penalty, and the destruction of other people’s documentation during the first day of the trial, when he only accepted the charge of concealment of the body.
The defense has alleged that Sancho, who has played a very active role in the trial, acted in self-defense after an attempted rape by Arrieta and that the death of the Colombian surgeon in the Spaniard’s villa in Phangan was due to an accident during a fight.
Sancho has been in pre-trial detention since August 7 in the Samui prison, from which he has traveled in a police van to attend the trial and in which he will be re-hospitalized this Thursday.
Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho assured this Thursday that “it is an absolute lie” that he has not conveyed his condolences to the family of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, for whose alleged premeditated murder his son Daniel Sancho has been tried in Thailand.
“I just want to comment on one thing, that I don’t know why there are people who are saying that I am inhuman, that I have never said that I felt anything for the family (from Arrieta), that I have not presented my condolences,” Rodolfo Sancho said today at the exit of the Provincial Court of Samui (southern Thailand), where the trial against his son concluded this Thursday.
“It’s an absolute lie,” the actor stressed, who added: “The first thing I did when all this jumped was indeed that, and people who know it, know it, and those who don’t, have not informed themselves well.”
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.
“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.
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.
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