International

Armed group sows terror “by sea and land” in Ecuadorian fishing port

Photo: Armed Forces of Ecuador

April 12 |

Nine people lost their lives this Tuesday in the town of Esmeraldas, in northern Ecuador, when some thirty alleged members of “organized crime” sowed terror “by sea and land” by opening fire on the fishing port, according to official sources.

“Today, around 09:00 am, 30 heavily armed people, both by sea and land, attacked fishermen in a criminal and delinquent manner”, informed the Ministry of Interior through a communiqué, in which it also detailed that Minister Juan Zapata went to the place of the facts, “after 9 violent deaths and 4 wounded registered so far”.

Zapata himself, quoted in the statement, detailed that the National Police and the Armed Forces are working on the case “in a coordinated manner”. “We are confronting organized crime with force,” he said.

President Guillermo Lasso stated on his Twitter account that those responsible will be captured and confirmed that the police and military forces are “looking for those responsible for this crime”.

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According to the Ministry, the police in the sector arrived to repel the attack, taking into account that there were between 1,500 and 2,000 people in the port. At least two victims were rescued from the sea because they jumped into the water to avoid the attack, according to AP citing police sources.

So far, according to the Interior Ministry, 60 raids have been carried out in sectors where, “according to police intelligence, the Organized Crime Group (GDO) would be responsible for this act”. Likewise, he informed that more than 200 ballistic indications have been collected, both of 9 millimeters and 223.

The Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office informed that it removed seven bodies in the Artisanal Fishing Port of the canton, and two more in a nearby health center, which were transferred to the Forensic Center.

Earlier, Minister Zapata also announced, through a tweet, that they were coordinating with the police “to capture those responsible for the violent deaths registered in the Fishing Port”. For their part, the country’s military forces announced a security deployment in the area.

Esmeraldas is one of the most violent cities in Ecuador, frequented by criminal gangs involved in crimes such as drug trafficking and extortion.

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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.