International

Cuban Vice-President Valdés Mesa receives Belarusian Foreign Minister

Photo: Cubadebate

July 19 |

The Vice President of the Republic of Cuba, Salvador Valdés Mesa, received on Tuesday the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Seguéi Aleinik, who is on an official visit to the Caribbean country.

During the meeting, the Cuban vice president highlighted the high level reached by bilateral relations, strengthened by the visit of President Miguel Diaz-Canel to Belarus in 2019.

The Belarusian foreign minister noted that he senses an expansion of economic and trade cooperation, especially at a time when both nations are under pressure and sanctions from the West. For this reason, he stressed the need to promote the development of this collaboration in order to make the two economies stronger.

Aleinik also praised the progress of Belarusian industrial projects, such as the possible agreement between the MTZ tractor company and Cuban authorities for the assembly of this type of equipment in Cuba.

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The foreign minister took the opportunity to convey a greeting from President Alexander Lukashenko to his Cuban counterpart. “We have a multilevel cooperation, including at the international political level, with exchanges between foreign ministries, where there is an absolute understanding,” he added.

On the first day of his visit to Cuba, last Monday, July 17, Aleinik met with the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, the deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Ricardo Cabrisas, and the acting foreign minister, Josefina Vidal.

According to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, in these contacts “special attention was paid to the supply of various Belarusian equipment and spare parts, demanded foodstuffs and other Belarusian products to Cuba. In this context, preparations for the signing of the Protocol to the Agreement on Reciprocal Deliveries” were discussed (…).

It also transpired that “the full range of Belarusian-Cuban relations and ways to intensify them, in particular through the mechanism of the bilateral commission on trade and economic cooperation” were discussed.

The official also noted that the two countries discussed very promising mutual projects in the areas of science, biotechnology and pharmacology.

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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.

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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.

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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.