International
Former Democratic senator Bob Menéndez is sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption
Former Democratic senator for New Jersey Bob Menéndez, one of the most prominent Latino politicians in the United States, was sentenced today to eleven years in prison for corruption, in a sentence communicated this Wednesday by a federal judge in New York.
Judge Sindey Stein found Menéndez, 71, guilty of accepting bribes in the form of gold bars, a luxury car and briefcases full of money while presiding over the Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate, where he amassed immense power and became an almost necessary channel for Latin American politics.
Menéndez led a whole plot of corruption fueled by the governments of Qatar and Egypt, the latter country from which his wife Nadine is originally, also accused in the same plot.
An FBI agent secretly recorded Nadine while offering her services as an intermediary to a senior Egyptian official.
When the FBI raided his home in New Jersey, he found 13 gold bars hidden in a safe in his room, as well as half a million dollars in bills scattered throughout the house and hidden even inside boots or in the pockets of the suits.
“You have been at the top of our political system,” the judge told you today when reading the sentence, “But somewhere along the way, you lost your way,” reported the media present at the hearing.
Visibly affected, Menéndez replied with a broken voice: “I have sat in this court for nine weeks, but you do not know me,” and went on to relate his childhood as a Cuban immigrant. “This is who I am, a man dedicated to serving others. I have lost everything that mattered to me, and for someone dedicated to public service, every day is a punishment.”
A historic member of the Democratic Party, Bon Menéndez carved out his career in his feud in New Jersey, a state he represented as a senator between 2006 and 2024; his own son Robert Menéndez is also a Democratic congressman.
Menéndez clung to his position as senator until last July, when his position became unsustainable when he was found guilty by a jury of the corruption crimes for which he was convicted today.
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.
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.
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.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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