International
Argentine President inaugurates conference on Peace Operations
September 12 |
The opening of the II Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Peace Operations of the United Nations Organization (ALCONU) was held on Tuesday by the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, in the San Martin Hall of the Libertador Building.
Also presiding the event with the President were the Ministers of Defense, Jorge Taiana, and of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Santiago Cafiero, and the Assistant Secretary General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
The event organized by the Argentine Ministry of Defense, hosted by Taiana, is an international meeting that brings together the Ministers of Defense of 24 countries of the region and the world.
“The United Nations has been developing peace missions for a long time, and we, who are Latin America and a region of peace (…) have learned to solve our problems with diplomacy and dialogue”, said the President to those present.
The objective of this Conference, of which Argentina holds the Pro Tempore Presidency, is to strengthen the articulation with respect to the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (PKOs).
“We will continue to accompany the United Nations, to the extent that it remains the center that brings us together as the world that we are and we will always continue to demand respect for peace,” said President Fernandez in closing his speech.
For his part, the Argentine Minister of Defense said: “We reaffirm our willingness to support the multilateral system in general, the United Nations system, and also, in particular, our support for the entire area of peacekeeping operations”.
At the conclusion of the Conference, the first institutional mechanism in the region and the world for UN-mandated peacekeeping cooperation will be signed, the so-called Statute of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for Peacekeeping Cooperation (RELACOPAZ), drafted in Lima in 2022.
Similarly, progress will be made in defining the objectives, strategic thinking and regional perspective on PMOs under UN mandate.
In addition to the member countries gathered there, representatives from Spain, Canada, India, China, Slovenia, Pakistan and France will also participate as observers.
In recent times, Argentina’s links with UN Peace Operations have doubled from four to eight international missions in countries such as Cyprus, Colombia, Lebanon, Western Sahara, Central African Republic, Middle East, South Sudan and India-Pakistan.
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.
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