International

The United States expresses condolences for the “unfortunate” accident that ended Raisí’s life

On Monday, the United States expressed its “official condolences” for the “very unfortunate” accident that killed former president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisí, and said it had no information about the causes of the accident.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed his “official condolences” for the death of Raisí and the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hosein Amir Abdolahian, in a helicopter crash that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin considered “very unfortunate” in another statement.

“While Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Miller said in a statement.

In a subsequent press conference, the same spokesman defined Raisí as one of those responsible for “the brutal repression of the Iranian people for almost four decades,” including the executions of thousands of political dissidents in 1988.

“We regret any loss of life. We don’t want to see anyone die in a helicopter accident, but that doesn’t change their history,” Miller said.

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The spokesman also revealed that Iran asked the United States for assistance in the search and recovery of the damaged helicopter, but did not give more details about it.

Meanwhile, at a press conference, Austin said that the United States “had nothing to do” with that accident and, when asked if Israel could be involved, he said that it will be the investigation being carried out by the Iranian authorities that sheds light on what happened.

“Regarding the death of the Iranian president in the very unfortunate helicopter accident, we continue to monitor the situation, but at this time we do not have details about the origin of the accident,” he emphasized.

Faced with the question of whether the United States would modify the deployment of its troops in the region in the face of the uncertainty generated by the death of Raisí, the head of the Pentagon ruled out changes in this regard and stated that, for the moment, they do not expect there to be an impact on the security of the region.

Raisí lost his life on Sunday in a helicopter accident, after the aircraft made a forced landing in the Varzaghan area, in northwestern Iran.

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The Foreign Minister, the governor of East Azerbaijan, Malek Rahmati, the leader of the Friday prayers of the city of Tabriz, Mohammad-Ali Ale-Hashem, also traveled on the aircraft, in addition to two pilots of the aircraft, a flight attendant, the presidential head of security and a guard.

Everyone died in the accident.

After the announcement of Raisí’s death, the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, approved on Monday that the first vice president, Mohamad Mojber, assume as interim president of the country and declared five days of national mourning for the death of Raisí and his companions.

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.