International
The US pauses the delivery of Patriot and NASAM missiles to other countries to send them to Ukraine
The United States announced on Thursday that it decided to paralyze the delivery of Patriot anti-missile systems to other countries so that that weaponry can go to Ukraine as quickly as possible.
“Many of our allies and partners have also taken historic steps, but obviously more is needed and it is needed now,” the spokesman of the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, said in a call with journalists.
Consequently, he added, the US Executive “has made the difficult but necessary decision to change the priorities of the short-term plan of deliveries of military sales to other countries so that they go to Ukraine instead.”
Ukraine will receive “in the coming weeks, before the end of the safe summer,” those systems that were originally going to go to other countries.
The Joe Biden Administration pointed out that they are talking to the affected nations, whose name was not specified, to evaluate the new delivery times. “We will do our best to minimize that delay as much as possible,” the spokesman said.
Kirby did state that “this reprioritization will not affect Taiwan and what Taiwan continues to need and receive from the United States for its self-defense.”
The decision is made to help Ukraine cope with Russian airstrikes.
“In recent months, Russia has accelerated its missile attacks against cities and civilian infrastructure. They are trying to destroy Ukraine’s energy system. This is not a new tactic for them, but they have certainly applied much more energy and effort,” he said.
The Ukrainian Army, he added, “desperately needs additional air defense capabilities” and the United States takes its associations “very seriously,” “especially when a partner like Ukraine is at such a crossroads.”
Kirby pointed out that the response received from the nations affected by the change of military strategy in the short term has been generally positive.
This same Thursday, Romania said that it will deliver a Patriot long-range ground-to-air missile system to Ukraine so that it can better defend itself from “the constant and massive attacks of Russia,” in the words of the presidency of the Balkan country.
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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