International

Authorities retake control of Tacambú prison, Paraguay

Photo: ABC Color

October 12 |

The general director of Intelligence and spokesman of the National Police of Paraguay, commissioner Ever Paris, confirmed Wednesday that the prisoners who since last Tuesday had taken control of the Tacambú prison reached an agreement with the authorities, which allows the reestablishment of order there.

In statements given to the media in the vicinity of the penitentiary, the largest in the South American country, Paris reported that the inmates released the 22 guards they held captive for almost 15 hours and that the weapons they had taken from the officers were recovered.

He also explained that several women who were inside the penitentiary for family visits were released and that 11 women who were there with their respective husbands, in the section for private meetings (which last one day), will be released soon. He confirmed that they did not participate in the events.

He said that at this moment the control of the penitentiary is being reestablished and its director is again in charge of his functions. He assured that the situation is back to normal, no deaths or injuries were reported, and that the National Police will continue its preventive work in the surroundings of the prison.

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Paris commented that the inmates requested a 15-day period for the reopening of family visits and for the return of a group of prisoners who were transferred to other prisons. He said that this Wednesday afternoon the Ministry of Justice is expected to hold a press conference on the case.

According to local media, a vice-minister of the Ministry of Justice, Rodrigo Nicora, who visited the place and refused to give statements, went to inform the head of the sector, Ángel Ramón Barchini, about the end of the negotiation.

Days before, the latter assured that the inmates had murdered and dismembered a former policeman held in Tacambú for homicide, Oliver Lezcano, who actually escaped from the prison. This accusation would have provoked the riot.

For his part, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña denied that there is a prison crisis in the country and that what happened is another expression of the State’s confrontation with crime. He gave his full support to Barchini, whose immediate resignation is already being demanded by legislators of the National Republican Association (Colorado Party) for his role in the events.

The rioting inmates were led by the head of the Rotela clan, Javier Rotela, who is serving time for crimes related to micro-trafficking in the metropolitan area of Asunción (capital). He is considered the king of micro-trafficking in that region of the country.

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Tacambú houses 3,000 prisoners and has an overcrowding rate of 607 percent, according to criminologist and professor Juan Martens. There are approximately 16,000 prisoners in 18 penitentiaries throughout the country.

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.