International
The former Chancellor of Peru asks the US and Europe to freeze assets of “corrupt jers of Venezuela”
The former foreign minister of Peru Javier González-Olaechea assured that “the United States is the country that has the most instruments to surround the summit” of the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and even revealed that he had delivered to the North American country “a list of 57 corrupt bosses” with the aim of freezing their assets abroad.
“I say it for the first time: I have provided you with the list of the 57 main corrupt leaders of Venezuela,” González-Olaechea said in an interview with EFE in Quito, after being decorated on Tuesday by the Government of Ecuador for strengthening relations between the two countries.
“They have current accounts abroad, some in the United States, others in some European countries. They should intervene. They should dry them up,” said González-Olaechea, in whose period as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru he advocated within the Organization of American States (OAS) for the recognition of anti-Chavista candidate Edmundo González Urrutia as elected president of Venezuela.
González-Olaechea’s statements
The former Peruvian foreign minister made these statements minutes before the United States Government recognized González Urrutia as president-elect, after elections in July where most of the international community does not recognize the official results of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela that gave Maduro the triumph and asks for the dissemination of the electoral minutes, in which the opposition claims to have won easily.
He insisted that the banks that keep those funds “should not endorse or use those ill-held money, rather exploit them.”
González-Olaechea, who left the Government of President Dina Boluarte in September, also recalled that “there are multiple calls to the members of the Armed Forces themselves to put themselves on the right side of history,” because the military take an oath in defense of the Constitution and “the Venezuelan order has been absolutely upset, falsified and instrumentalized.”
“The first call is to the Armed Forces themselves, not to participate in the corrupt party. That they think of their children and their families, because when they have to continue repressing and end up being slaughtered a daughter, a son or a nephew (of a member) of the Bolivarian Forces, they will face divine justice and their own family,” he said.
Presidential project
Recently, González-Olaechea announced his intention to be elected as a presidential candidate of the Popular Christian Party (PPC) for the next elections in Peru.
“I am an aspirant who wants a radical cycle change to bury everything that hurts us and all the institutions that, in quotes, say they are defenders of human rights and that do nothing but profit from them,” said the former foreign chaill.
“I will do everything possible to lead that proposal for a change of cycle that, basically, is a new current also beyond America. In many countries there are clear signs of boredom of the total state of impunity, of attacking the rights of families and of practically burying religious beliefs and moral values,” he added.
For González-Olaechea, “lies and political persecution against those of us who love and defend freedom above any other consideration have been instrumentalized.”
Defense of freedom is not enough
The Peruvian politician said that “it’s not just about defending freedom, because “that freedom has to be translated into a responsible, honest and transparent exercise of power to serve the large majorities in solving the problems that afflict them such as insecurity, lack of food, lack of opportunities and queues in hospitals.”
Regarding the fact that almost all the heads of state that Peru has had in the last 40 years have ended up investigated or imprisoned, González-Olaechea replied that he faces his political project “with an incorruptible will.”
“I can guarantee in the honor of my family that no one can impute an act of corruption to me,” González-Olaechea said.
Nor does he fear the fact that he can be linked to the Boluarte Government, whose popularity according to various surveys does not exceed 5%, since he argued that he sought as foreign minister “not to be a notary of reality, but an agent of change” and a “worthy representative of Peru abroad.”
When asked if as president he would take the step of leaving the San José Pact as he had suggested as chancellor, González-Olaechea replied that he would decide when the time comes. “Sometimes I think it’s better to fight from the inside, knowing the monster a little, and sometimes I think it’s better to fight from the outside,” he said.
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
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