International

Javier Milei calls Pedro Sánchez “coward” and says that he “applies Maduro’s model”

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, called in a television interview “cowardly” the head of the Spanish Executive, Pedro Sánchez, of which he said that in terms of freedom of expression “he is applying the same model as (Nicolás) Maduro”, president of Venezuela.

“The coward (alluding to Pedro Sánchez) sent all his ministers to insult me. He started with the Transport and then, since I didn’t answer him, very cowardly he sent the women to assault me, and then call me a misogynist. And since I didn’t answer, he already joined,” he said in an interview with the Todo Noticias channel (TN).

The Minister of Transport of Spain, Óscar Puente, made a controversial statement on May 3 during a PSOE event, in which he accused the Argentine president, Javier Milei, of “ingesting substances.” This comment generated a strong reaction from the Argentine Government, which issued a statement of repudiation, describing the statements as “slander and insults.”

Puente later acknowledged that his words were a mistake and that he did not gauge the impact they would have. He stated that, if he had known, he would not have said them and described the context as “distended.”

“He is moving forward on freedom of expression, it is clear that it is Maduro’s model that he is applying,” Milei said today in reference to the head of the Spanish Executive. “What would happen if I did that here? What would the whole progressive band say?” he added.

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The Argentine head of state published on Monday on social networks several messages of support for the press collaborator of the far-right Spanish political formation Se Acabó la Fiesta (SALF) Vito Quiles, immersed in a controversy with the Spanish minister Óscar Puente, whom the communicator accuses of having used an official car to attend a concert by the singer Taylor Swift.

The relationship between Milei and the president of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, as well as that of their respective cabinets, is going through a conflictive period, including the withdrawal by the Spanish authorities of their ambassador to Argentina, María Jesús Alonso.

The moment of greatest tension took place when Milei accused Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, of “corrupt” and called the head of the Spanish Government “coward”, during the participation of the president of Argentina in an event in Madrid of the far-right Vox party.

Next Thursday, Milei will leave again on a private trip to Spain to receive the next day an award from the Juan de Mariana Institute, a study center founded in 2005 whose name pays tribute to Juan de Mariana, a Spanish theologian and economist of the 16th century known for his ideas on the economy and individual freedom.

The spokeswoman for the Spanish Government, Pilar Alegría, has warned Milei that if she plans to visit Spain this week and make statements, she must “respect” the Spanish people and their institutions.

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International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.