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

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.

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.

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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.