International

The anti-chavista mayor of Maracaibo “was deprived of his defenders,” his wife denounces

The opposition mayor of the Venezuelan municipality of Maracaibo (northwest), Rafael Ramírez Colina – arrested on Tuesday – was “deprived of his defenders,” denounced this Saturday his wife, Vanessa Linares De Ramírez, who said that “deprivation of liberty” against the anti-Chavista was ratified in a hearing at the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin).

“So far, we have received the news that a hearing has been held at the Sebin headquarters in Maracaibo, where, illegally, the deprivation of liberty of Mayor Rafael Ramírez has been decreed along with other detainees,” he said through X, without specifying the name of the other arrested.

He also stated that preventing access to private defense would contradict “due process and the legitimate right to defense” established in the Constitution and the laws, while affirming that “ace again” it is shown that it is “an act of political persecution.”

He added that “no one” has been able to see the mayor and it is not known “in what condition he is.”

What do they accuse the mayor of Maracibo of?

Ramírez Colina is accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of “serious irregular acts” related to corruption, while the Minister of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, points out to the opponent to deliver to “far-right political parties” resources obtained through tax collection.

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This Saturday, the opposition party Primero Justicia reiterated its rejection of the arrest of Ramírez Colina and agreed to “strengthen the complaints” before international bodies, without specifying which ones, in the face of “the deprivation of liberty and systematic judicialization as part of state terrorism,” applied – he said – by President Nicolás Maduro.

The mayor is one of the 154 opposition politicians who, according to María Corina Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela, are imprisoned in the country, most of them apprehended in the weeks before and after Maduro’s controversial re-election in the presidential elections of July 28, which many countries still do not recognize.

In these elections, Ramírez Colina supported the candidacy of the opposition standard-bearer Edmundo González Urrutia, and joined the “legitimate citizen request” for the electoral entity to “publish the results” disaggregated, after the complaint of “fraud” of anti-Chavismo, which claims that it defeated Maduro in the presidential elections.

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.