International
India opens the polls for the seventh time in the last phase of the general elections
India opened the polls for the seventh time in the last phase of the general elections, the longest and busiest in the world, which conclude today with the vote of eight regions, including the constituency that elects the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
The polling stations of 57 constituencies in eight territories and states of the country opened around 7:00 local time (02:00 GMT) for the seventh phase of the Indian general elections, according to the Indian Electoral Commission (ECI).
“This will mark the grand finale for the largest electoral marathon in the world that began on the 19th of last month and has already covered 6 phases and 486 seats of the Lok Sabha (Lower Chamber),” said the ECI.
For the last phase, more than 100 million voters are called, including 52.4 million men; 48.2 million women, 3,574 third-gender voters.
In the center of the sacred city of Benarés, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the electoral district by which the current prime minister is measured, at the time of the beginning of the voting the schools were full of voters who come in groups to participate.
In the Hindu temple Vishvanath in Benarés, where one of the more than ten schools in the millennial city is located, hundreds of people remained in the queue even before the start of the voting.
“The Electoral Commission has done a very good job, now we can only wait for the results patiently, but for us it was a fairly fast process, because our life went on while other states voted. Today is our big day,” Mahesh Purohit told EFE, after casting his vote.
These elections have been marked by high temperatures in the northern regions, including Uttar Pradesh, with temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius, which has required special arrangements, the installation of fans, shade spaces or the distribution of moisturizing drinks for people waiting in the queues.
This has been a concern of the ECI for the impact it may have on participation in general, which in the first six phases has been below the average 70%.
India’s seven-phase general elections for 543 seats of the Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Parliament, began on April 19, which marked the largest democratic exercise ever held in the world, with almost 969 million registered voters.
On the other hand, at least 62 people have died because of the heat wave that affects northern India, including dozens of electoral officials, while the country celebrates this Saturday the last phase of general elections marked by temperatures that have exceeded 50 degrees.
International
Thousands rally nationwide against Trump’s threat to U.S. democracy
Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday (April 19, 2025) in major cities like New York and Washington, as well as in small communities across the United States, in a second wave of demonstrations against President Donald Trump. The crowds denounced what they view as growing threats to the country’s democratic ideals.
In New York City, demonstrators of all ages rallied in front of the Public Library near Trump Tower, holding signs accusing the president of undermining democratic institutions and judicial independence.
Many protesters also criticized Trump’s hardline immigration policies, including mass deportations and raids targeting undocumented migrants.
“Democracy is in grave danger,” said Kathy Valyi, 73, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. She told AFP that the stories her parents shared about Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1930s Germany “are happening here now.”
In Washington, demonstrators voiced concern over what they see as Trump’s disregard for long-standing constitutional norms, such as the right to due process.
International
ACLU seeks emergency court order to stop venezuelan deportations under Wartime Law
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Friday asked two federal judges to block the U.S. government under President Donald Trump from deporting any Venezuelan nationals detained in North Texas under a rarely used 18th-century wartime law, arguing that immigration officials appear to be moving forward with deportations despite Supreme Court-imposed limitations.
The ACLU has already filed lawsuits to stop the deportation of two Venezuelan men held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center, challenging the application of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The organization is now seeking a broader court order that would prevent the deportation of any immigrant in the region under that law.
In an emergency filing early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities were accusing other Venezuelan detainees of being members of the Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal gang. These accusations, the ACLU argues, are being used to justify deportations under the wartime statute.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked three times in U.S. history — most notably during World War II to detain Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration has claimed the law allows them to swiftly remove individuals identified as gang members, regardless of their immigration status.
The ACLU, together with Democracy Forward, filed legal actions aiming to suspend all deportations carried out under the law. Although the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed deportations to resume, it unanimously ruled that they could only proceed if detainees are given a chance to present their cases in court and are granted “a reasonable amount of time” to challenge their pending removal.
International
Dominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
A man identified as Rafael Rosario Mota falsely claimed to have rescued 12 people from the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo—a tragedy that left 231 people dead—but he was never at the scene.
Intelligence agents in the Dominican Republic arrested the 32-year-old man for pretending to be a hero who saved lives during the catastrophic incident, authorities announced.
Rosario Mota had been charging for media interviews in which he falsely claimed to have pulled survivors from the rubble after the nightclub’s roof collapsed in the early hours of April 8, during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed.
“He was never at the scene of the tragedy,” the police stated. The arrest took place just after he finished another interview on a digital platform, where he repeated his fabricated story in exchange for money as part of a “media tour” filled with manipulated information and invented testimonies.
“False hero!” read a message shared on the police force’s Instagram account alongside a short video of the suspect, in which he apologized: “I did it because I was paid. I ask forgiveness from the public and the authorities.”
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