International

Between weddings and gifts, Venezuelans celebrate the Day of Love and Friendship

The celebration of Love and Friendship Day did not go unnoticed this Friday in Venezuela, where flowers, gifts of all kinds and even collective weddings broke everyday life in a country immersed in recent months in a political crisis following the presidential elections of July 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed winner among opposition claims.

Among the preferred flowers, balloons and chocolates, as EFE could verify in the streets of Caracas, to express their feelings to loved ones or friends, and, for lack of a budget, there was no lack of hugs and affectionate greetings.

Others took the opportunity to swear eternal love to their better half at collective weddings held in the Venezuelan capital and the city of Maracaibo, in the west of the country.

Altamira Square, in the heart of the municipality of Chacao (east of Caracas), hosted this Friday the union, in civil marriage, of a group of couples in a ceremony that has become a tradition to celebrate love on Valentine’s Day.

This time, 16 couples lived a special day, which included a makeup session for the ladies, rental of the suits for the wedding, photo sessions and an outdoor act in which the “yes, I accept” was heard.

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

The director of Municipal Justice of the Mayor’s Office of Chacao and civil registrar, Alejandro Urdaneta, explained to EFE that the activity, promoted by the local mayor, Gustavo Duque, reached its third edition this year and has as a framework the fountain of the Altamira Square, its obelisk and different recovered spaces.

The contractors, who previously registered with the municipal entity, also enjoyed a toast, gifts and a bottle of champagne to celebrate with their relatives.

One of the brides was Farides Galvis, 65, a pensioner and currently a housewife, who formalized before the law her union with her partner, which began 11 years ago.

She, born in the Colombian city of Valledupar, and he, a native of Barranquilla, met when Galvis was returning from work at her now husband’s kiosk.

“I’m looking for a husband,” the brand new bride who responded to her then suitor, who, without hesitation, said: “That’s me.”

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

Andreína Mendoca, 25, was also getting ready to celebrate her wedding, who told EFE that they chose this date because it was a “symbolic” day.

“We got the date, the opportunity, we wanted to formalize our home properly,” added this young woman, who has been sharing life with Johan for five years.

Also in Maracaibo, the capital of the state of Zulia, 39 couples got married in a collective wedding organized by the mayor’s office and another ten answered the invitation of a shopping center to formally unite their lives.

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.