International
Mexican court allows subsidiary of Canadian company to grow cannabis
AFP
Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday issued the country’s first-ever authorization for planting, cultivating and harvesting cannabis for industrial purposes.
It granted the right to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Canadian firm Xebra Brands, which cultivates hemp and produces products such as cannabis-infused drinks.
Cannabis use became legal in Canada in 2018.
While industrial cannabis production is still illegal in Mexico, a country wracked by decades of drugs wars, the court responded positively to an injunction against the prohibition filed by the firm Desart MX, a Mexican subsidiary of Vancouver-based firm.
The ruling obliges the firm to “guarantee that the plant produces concentrations equal to or less than one percent” of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the active substance of the plant.
It added that production must meet “the monitoring, control and security conditions that the competent authority (…) deems appropriate to protect health and public order.”
A judicial source explained to AFP that the ruling will apply only to Desart MX, and that it is a first step toward granting the company full permits.
The ruling is the latest issued by the Supreme Court in recent years to loosen prohibitions on the use of hemp.
The court this year decriminalized the recreational use of marijuana and instructed Congress to legislate on the matter, although the bill is still under debate in the Senate after the lower house approved it.
Uruguay and Colombia have the most advanced regulations on the production, marketing and export of cannabis in Latin America.
In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country in the world to legalize the production, distribution and consumption of cannabis. For its part, Colombia authorized the industrial use of cannabis and its export for medicinal purposes in July.
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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