International

Journalists in Latin America lack protection due to weak laws and few resources

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticized on Tuesday that journalists in Latin America lack protection due to “weak” legal frameworks and “insufficient” resources from States to guarantee the safety of media professionals.

That is why the biggest challenge for the region is to turn the protection of journalists into a “political priority,” says RSF in its report ‘Protection mechanisms in Latin America: how to strengthen this fragile shield for journalists’.

The organization recalls that 338 journalists have been murdered in Latin America since 2000.

The “systematic violence” they suffer translates into deaths, threats, arrests and persecutions by involving themselves in the denunciation of cases of corruption, organized crime and abuse of power.

The countries analyzed: Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru

RSF analyzes the situation of countries that have recently implemented mechanisms to strengthen the safety of journalists (Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru) and those that are in the process of approving measures of this type (Chile and Paraguay).

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

In Peru, the allocated budget does not grow at the same rate as requests for protection by journalists, whose situation has worsened due to the political and social crisis in the Andean country.

In just two years, these demands have multiplied by six (247 in 2023, compared to 40 in 2021), while the budget has only increased by 40% in the same period.

RSF criticizes Guatemala’s limited action to protect journalists, accentuated by the lack of parliamentary support of the current president, Bernardo Arévalo, which makes it even more difficult to approve specific and effective mechanisms.

In Ecuador, the state of emergency declared by its president, Daniel Noboa, after a wave of unprecedented violence has worsened the economic, technical and institutional endowment of the Interinstitutional Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which is currently trying to get support from embassies and associations.

Projects for the protection of journalists in Chile and Paraguay

With regard to the draft new legislation, the Chilean Senate has received the draft of a new protection law for journalists and media, a text that RSF considers devoid of detail in terms of budget and legal framework.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

“It does not explicitly mention any department, agency or institution that is held responsible,” he highlights in his report.

In Paraguay, another protection law is also pending ratification by the Senate since April 2023. It is a text that provides for the formation of an independent committee that has the highest authority to evaluate the situation.

According to RSF, the current conservative majority in the Upper House of Paraguay is an obstacle to maintaining the main provisions of the law that journalists are trying to maintain based on political support.

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.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

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.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20250501_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250501_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.