International
The United States pledges to continue supporting Ukraine “to stop Putin’s campaign of conquest
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, warned today that Ukraine’s survival is at stake and it cannot lose a day in its fight against Russian aggression, so both Washington and the rest of Western capitals will continue to supply Kiev with the weapons it needs to resist the “campaign of conquest” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Don’t fool ourselves, Putin will not stop in Ukraine. But as (U.S. President Joe) Biden said, Ukraine can stop Putin, if we are with Ukraine and provide him with the weapons he needs to defend himself,” said the Pentagon chief when opening a new meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine at the US air base in Ramstein, in southwest Germany.
Austin assured, sitting next to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov, that “Ukraine’s survival is at stake and all our security as well.”
“So we will remain united to resist Putin’s campaign of conquest and we will continue to maintain faith in the Ukrainian people,” stressed the US Secretary of Defense, at a time when Ukrainian soldiers are accused of a serious shortage of ammunition and Russia has the initiative on the entire front.
“Now the Ukrainian troops are facing harsh conditions and hard fighting. Ukrainian civilians endure the constant bombardment of Russian missiles and Iranian drones, but Ukraine will not back down and neither will the United States,” Austin stressed, while an aid package of more than 60 billion dollars is still blocked in the House of Representatives.
“Our message today is clear: we will not let Ukraine fail, this coalition will not let Ukraine fail and the free world will not let Ukraine fail,” he insisted.
“We remain determined to provide Ukraine with the resources it needs to resist the aggressions of the Kremlin. And the countries that are gathered here today do the same,” more than fifty, Austin said.
In this sense, he mentioned that Czech Republic recently announced the supply of 800,000 rounds of ammunition and Germany, France, Denmark and Sweden also provided important aid packages.
“These are investments in Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s aggression, but also in our common security, the security of Europe and in world security. We will all be less sure if Putin gets away with it. The Ukrainian people don’t have a day to lose and neither do we,” he emphasized.
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
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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