International

Colombia’s Defense Minister denounces the kidnapping of 29 uniformed officers in the southwest of the country

The Government of Colombia denounced this Friday “the attempted murder and the subsequent kidnapping of 29 soldiers of the Public Force” in the department of Cauca (southwest), where the Army launched an operation last October to take control of the area from a dissident of the former FARC.

The events occurred on Thursday in the hamlets of El Plateado and La Hacienda, located in the municipalities of Algeria and El Tambo, as confirmed today by the Minister of Defense, retired General Pedro Sánchez Suárez.

“The life and safety of the kidnapped members of the Public Force is the direct responsibility of those who committed this reprehensible crime,” the minister said in an extensive message on his X account.

The minister did not specify who the soldiers kidnapped in the region of Colombia are, but local media indicate that most of them are members of the Police who yesterday helped repel a sason of residents of El Plateado against the Army and who also “set fire to two official vehicles.”

Sánchez attributed these attacks to the Carlos Patiño group, of the FARC dissidents, and to “invillants instrumentalized by this group”, who acted “with service and dressing in civilian clothes to infiltrate and attack the integrity of our uniformed men.”

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The minister said that the members of the Carlos Patiño group “not only forcibly recruit minors but also instrumentalize and coerce the civilian population in order to expel the Public Force and prevent state institutions from providing access to health, education, work and opportunities for the transformation of the territory.”

On October 12 of last year, the Colombian Army launched ‘Operation Perseo’, with more than a thousand soldiers, to regain control of El Plateado, the main bastion of the Carlos Patiño group, a faction of the Central General Staff (EMC), the largest dissident of the former FARC, which is dedicated to drug trafficking.

However, five months later the military deployment has not given the expected result and the dissidents continue to control the area.

“Since entering the region, the Public Force has faced constant threats from Carlos Patiño, who seeks to sow fear, anxiety and stop the arrival of social and development projects that benefit communities,” the minister added.

Sánchez, who took office last week, also rejected “the recent blowing up of the bridge that connects El Plateado with La Hacienda,” an attack that he classified as “proof of how these actions directly affect communities, restricting their mobility and access to essential services.”

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Without referring to the events that caused Thursday’s sasonada, the Minister of Defense reiterated that in the Micay Canyon, a strategic step for drug trafficking routes, “no forced eradication actions (of coca bushes) will be carried out.”

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.