International
Peace talks begin in the Colombian port of Buenaventura
July 19 |
As part of the total peace agenda promoted by President Gustavo Petro, the Colombian government began dialogues on Tuesday with two criminal groups that dispute the control of illicit businesses in the port of Buenaventura.
The dialogue table was installed in the Casa de Encuentros Heriberto Correa Yepes in the presence of the high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda; the president of the Senate, Alexander López, and the archbishop of the city, Monsignor Rubén Darío Jaramillo, in addition to international organizations, businessmen and members of civil society.
“We believe that they are on the right path to be able to achieve these transformations without violence in Buenaventura,” said the high commissioner for peace during the event.
Representatives of the criminal groups the Shottas and the Espartanos, met publicly for the first time on the occasion of the installation of the so-called “urban peace table”.
The spokesmen for the criminal gangs said they were willing to take the message of peace to the gang members.
We came “for those boys and girls, so that they don’t go later to take up arms,” said Jose Jimmy Garcia, a community leader representing the Shottas.
The spokesman for the Espartanos, Félix Orlando Luna, followed the same line: “The people want peace (…) between all of us we can build peace and move forward,” he said.
The Shottas and the Espartanos were born in 2020 and have since been responsible for shootouts and murders amid their dispute for control of illegal businesses such as drug trafficking and extortion.
The high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda, recalled that the Colombian government maintains a policy to address the causes of violence in a systemic, comprehensive and effective manner.
According to Rueda, since September 2022, when the truce that brought the city of Buenaventura to 100 days without homicides began, 14 discreet and private meetings have been held with both organizations in different areas of the city.
Recent clashes between criminal organizations have caused displacement on the outskirts of the Colombian port city.
In the midst of the policy of total peace, the Colombian government maintains dialogues with the illegal structures of Medellin and holds political negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN).
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
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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