International

Colombian government and FARC dissidents begin new dialogue seeking to extend the ceasefire

The Government of Colombia and three blocs of the divided Central General Staff (EMC), the largest dissidence of the former FARC, began this Friday in Bogotá the VI cycle of peace talks with several items on the agenda, including the possibility of extending the ceasefire of the bilateral fire that ends on October 15.

Just one year after the official installation of the peace negotiations, and after several crises after the split of the well-known Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident of the FARC, the delegations sat down with the premise of moving forward and that “this cycle can be a real leap forward,” in the words of the Chief Negotiator of the Government, Camilo González Posso.

“A year and three days ago we began this titanic task (…) where the starting point was given to this process, that’s where we managed to reach an agreement. Since then we have encountered thousands of obstacles, with vicissitudes,” accepted the delegate of dissent, Andrey Avendaño, who added that they are “very expectant of what may arise in this cycle.”

The sixth cycle of peace talks

In this sixth cycle of talks, which will last until October 19 and where it seeks to extend a bilateral cessation with the so-called Central General Staff (EMC), to which the blocks of Jorge Suárez Briceño, Magdalena Medio and the Raúl Reyes Front belong, the “environmental issue” will also be on the table, which both delegations consider “of vital importance”.

González Posso added that his expectations in this meeting are “to go out with very specific decisions, to develop an exact work schedule for the next period.”

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The last cycle in this process was held in July, also in Bogotá, and it was in April when the EMC split, leaving out of the negotiations the dissidents commanded by ‘Iván Mordisco’, who operate mainly in the southwest of the country and have starred in an escalation of violence since then.

“We have been six months since the reconfiguration of the table, in April we opened a new period and in these six months we have advanced a lot to approve the participation agreement, we have advanced in prefiguring immediate steps in terms of territorial transformations,” said González Posso, optimistic in the process.

“Acceleration of results”

The installation of this cycle of dialogues in Bogotá was accompanied by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, who told the delegations that “it is a process that needs to enter an acceleration of results” because the Government enters the second half of its mandate and this means that the time of “consolidation of work” must come.

“The National Government is ready,” the minister added, referring to territorial transformations and the defense of nature, “but we cannot do that without peace,” she warned.

For his part, the commissioned peace counselor, Otty Patiño, considered that “we need persistence, confidence that it is possible and knowing that building peace is not a path full of roses, but of difficulties,” while he was optimistic that an agreement will be reached to extend the ceasefire.

At the moment, it is still being discussed whether the extension of the cessation of hostilities will be for three or six months, although both parties seem to be leaning towards the second option.

In this line, Patiño detailed that the president, Gustavo Petro, has ordered to change the logic of the ceasefire: “The fundamental plan is, first, the policy of territorial transformation, and as an element that can support it, the ceasefire.”

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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.