International
Colombia car bomb kills one, injures 20
AFP
A car bomb detonated in Colombia overnight outside government offices and the seat of a human rights body, killing one person and wounded 20 near the Venezuelan border, authorities said Thursday.
The army in a statement blamed the late-night attack in Saravena, an area with a strong military presence, on dissidents of the FARC guerilla group who rejected a 2016 peace deal.
Defense Minister Diego Molano said the attack was “planned and financed from Venezuela.”
“The explosives used in this terrorist act were brought into Colombia from Venezuela,” said Molano.
The explosion killed a security guard and injured 20 other people. No further information was provided about them.
The blast also damaged private buildings, the army statement said.
Jose Luis Lazo, an official in charge of human rights in Saravana, told W Radio that a dissident going by the name Antonio Medina had ordered the attack in a WhatsApp message.
Colombia President Ivan Duque has often accused neighboring Venezuela of shielding rebels on its territory.
The two countries have not had diplomatic relations since shortly after Duque took office in 2018.
The region in which the attack took place is one of the hardest-hit by a wave of violence plaguing Colombia in the aftermath of a 2016 peace pact that disarmed the FARC and officially ended decades of conflict.
Despite the agreement, fighting continues over territory and resources between dissident FARC guerrillas, the ELN rebel group, paramilitary forces and drug cartels.
Earlier this month, almost 30 people were killed in fighting in the northeastern Arauca department, where Saravena is located, and hundreds fled the region, according to official data.
The government has since deployed an additional 1,300 soldiers to join 5,600 already operational in the area.
An independent study center, Indepaz, says the ELN has around 2,500 fighters while the FARC dissidents are comprised of around 5,200 members.
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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