International

Unknown assassin murders photojournalist in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Photo: @cardonamex

November 17 |

The Chihuahua state prosecutor’s office confirmed on Thursday the murder of photojournalist Ismael Villagómez Tapia, who worked as a photojournalist for the newspaper El Heraldo de Juárez and at night worked as a cab driver for the app.

According to statements by some colleagues on social networks, “Tiger”, as Villagómez was nicknamed, was left lifeless at the wheel of the unit and was executed by unknown gunmen. Initially, it was reported that Villagómez had been shot in the left side, neck and head.

Hermann Adrián Pérez Rico, regional coordinator of the Prosecutor’s Office’s Crimes Against Life Unit, specified that the alerts reached the officers of the State Investigation Agency, as the inhabitants of the area heard about 10 gunshots and reported it to the local police shortly before two o’clock in the morning.

Several colleagues and people close to the photojournalist condemned the murder on social networks and demanded the Mexican government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to bring justice in this new case that exposes the environment of insecurity faced by journalists.

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Reporter Luis Cardona, who had ties of friendship with the victim, wrote on the social network X: “A friend of mine for many years, loved by the entire profession in Ciudad Juarez, was murdered early this morning aboard his car in the Francisco Sarabia neighborhood,” he said.

“We demand that the authorities carry out immediate investigations to clarify the facts and find those responsible”, demanded the civil association Propuesta Cívica, defender of freedom of expression.

The Municipal Public Security Department immediately went to the scene and confirmed the death of the photojournalist, whose body was found in the driver’s seat.

Throughout his career Villagómez Tapia also worked for Periódico Norte and an evening newspaper in the city of Nogales, Sonora.

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International

Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links

A flight carrying 175 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived in Caracas on Sunday. This marks the third group to return since repatriation flights resumed a week ago, and among them is an alleged member of a criminal organization, according to Venezuelan authorities.

Unlike previous flights operated by the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, this time, an aircraft from the U.S. airline Eastern landed at Maiquetía Airport, on the outskirts of Caracas, shortly after 2:00 p.m. with the deportees.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who welcomed the returnees at the airport, stated that the 175 repatriated individuals were coming back “after being subjected, like all Venezuelans, to persecution” and dismissed claims that they belonged to the criminal organization El Tren de Aragua.

However, Cabello confirmed that “for the first time in these flights we have been carrying out, someone of significance wanted by Venezuelan justice has arrived, and he is not from El Tren de Aragua.” Instead, he belongs to a gang operating in the state of Trujillo. The minister did not disclose the individual’s identity or provide details on where he would be taken.

International

Son of journalist José Rubén Zamora condemns father’s return to prison as “illegal”

Guatemalan court decides Wednesday whether to convict journalist José Rubén Zamora

The son of renowned journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, José Carlos Zamora, has denounced as “illegal” the court order that sent his father back to a Guatemalan prison on March 3, after already spending 819 days behind barsover a highly irregular money laundering case.

“My father’s return to prison was based on an arbitrary and illegal ruling. It is also alarming that the judge who had granted him house arrest received threats,” José Carlos Zamora told EFE in an interview on Saturday.

The 67-year-old journalist was sent back to prison inside the Mariscal Zavala military barracks on March 3, when Judge Erick García upheld a Court of Appeals ruling that overturned the house arrest granted to him in October. Zamora had already spent 819 days in prison over an alleged money laundering case.

His son condemned the situation as “unacceptable”, stating that the judge handling the case “cannot do his job in accordance with the law due to threats against his life.”

International

Miyazaki’s style goes viral with AI but at what cost?

This week, you may have noticed that everything—from historical photos and classic movie scenes to internet memes and recent political moments—has been reimagined on social media as Studio Ghibli-style portraits. The trend quickly went viral thanks to ChatGPT and the latest update of OpenAI’s chatbot, released on Tuesday, March 25.

The newest addition to GPT-4o has allowed users to replicate the distinctive artistic style of the legendary Japanese filmmaker and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away). “Today is a great day on the internet,” one user declared while sharing popular memes in Ghibli format.

While the trend has captivated users worldwide, it has also highlighted ethical concerns about AI tools trained on copyrighted creative works—and what this means for the livelihoods of human artists.

Not that this concerns OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, which has actively encouraged the “Ghiblification”experiments. Its CEO, Sam Altman, even changed his profile picture on the social media platform X to a Ghibli-style portrait.

Miyazaki, now 84 years old, is known for his hand-drawn animation approach and whimsical storytelling. He has long expressed skepticism about AI’s role in animation. His past remarks on AI-generated animation have resurfaced and gone viral again, particularly when he once said he was “utterly disgusted” by an AI demonstration.