International

Chavismo assures that all polls predict Maduro’s second re-election

The Chavismo campaign command assured this Friday that all the polls predict that its candidate, President Nicolás Maduro, will obtain a second re-election in the elections of July 28, despite the fact that numerous studies place the opponent Edmundo González Urrutia as a favorite.

“All the surveys, all the studies, the ‘big data’, artificial intelligence, all the studies that have been done over the last two months (…), in all the candidate Nicolás Maduro has between 15 and 20 points of difference with respect to the other nine candidates,” said the head of the command, Jorge Rodríguez.

In a statement, the also president of Parliament stressed that Maduro is the favorite even of bookmakers, and mentioned a recent survey, according to which the Chavista leader, in power since 2013, has between 70 and 80% of taking the victory.

“This is the reflection of what is seen on the streets of Venezuela at the present time,” continued the deputy, who believes that the president has aroused a “fervor” among his followers

Despite these statements, the vast majority of pollsters – except for the ruling party Hinterlaces – predict the victory, by a wide margin, of González Urrutia, the option of the Democratic United Platform (PUD), the largest opposition coalition.

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This scenario, according to Rodríguez, is disseminated by opposition operators who, he insisted, will not recognize the results of the presidential elections and will sing fraud, a statement that is part of the Chavista campaign on all networks.

So far, the PUD has not said that it will not recognize the results and, instead, it is projected as the winner of the elections in which there are 10 candidates, eight of them with no chance of triumph, according to the studies.

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.