International

Edmundo González Urrutia thanks Pope Francis for his prayers for Venezuela

The standard-bearer of Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, thanked Pope Francis on Sunday for his prayers “for peace and truth” in Venezuela, after the pontiff expressed his “concern” about the “critical” situation in the country and called on all parties to behave “in moderation” and avoid violence.

“We thank the Holy Father Francis for his prayers for the peace and truth of our Venezuela. We all want the well-being of Venezuelans and move towards a country that is dignified, of understanding and where peace prevails. The truth is the way to peace,” González Urrutia wrote in X.

During the Sunday angelus prayer, Pope Francis was concerned about the crisis unleashed after last Sunday’s elections, after which the National Electoral Council (CNE) granted, on the same night of the voting day, the victory to President Nicolás Maduro, a triumph questioned by the opposition and a large part of the international community.

Likewise, the pontiff urged “to resolve disputes with dialogue for the good of the population and not for the interests of each party.”

On Friday, the CNE offered a second and final balance, so far, in which it ratified the triumph and re-election of President Nicolás Maduro with 51.95% of the votes, while -he assured- González Urrutia obtained 43.18% of the support, with 96.87% of the minutes scrutinized, which have not yet been published.

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Meanwhile, opposition leader María Corina Machado said this Sunday that the minutes of the voting witnesses in “more than 80% of the tables and available in resultadosconvzla.com, leave no room for doubt. Edmundo González Urrutia is the elected president of Venezuela.”

The protests have taken place since Monday in different cities of the country have left, according to the Executive, a balance of more than 2,000 people arrested and two soldiers killed.

In addition, the NGO Foro Penal reports 11 civilians killed since the demonstrations began, for a total of 13 fatalities.

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.