International

Macron travels to New Caledonia in the face of the wave of riots

he French president, Emmanuel Macron, will travel this afternoon for a “mission” of dialogue in the territory of New Caledonia, which has been suffering a wat of riots for nine days.

The presidential trip was announced by the Government’s spokeswoman, Prisca Thevenot, after the weekly Council of Ministers, in which the situation in that autonomous French archipelago of the South Pacific was discussed, where a clear improvement has been observed in recent days, although without the calm having been totally restored.

Macron’s decision comes after the requests of regional leaders and legislators of overseas territories, who had asked the head of state for a process of dialogue to try to close the cause of the riots, which is the reform of the electoral census of the territory.

The riots were widespread on Tuesday of last week after the National Assembly approved the opening of that census, which has been blocked since 1998, the date of the Numea agreements.

As prosecutors Yves Dupas denounced today, those riots were planned. So far, about 400 companies and shops have been destroyed or damaged in the capital, Nouméa, and its surroundings, have caused 6 deaths and destroyed or damaged.

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“The chain of events suggests a preparation, an organization and a planning in terms of logistics and media,” said the prosecutor, in an interview published on Tuesday by a local newspaper.

He also points out that, despite the progressive reduction of violence after the sending of a reinforcement of a thousand police and gendarmes, “there are still hot spots of violence” fed by “decided” people who continue to shoot at the security forces.

Following the beginning of the protests, Macron proposed to postpone the entry into force of the census reform and initiate political dialogue between all parties, something that he will predictably do on his trip to Numea, the duration of which has not yet been specified.

The Numea agreements established the organization of three self-determination referendums, which were held in 2018, 2020 and 2022. In the first two, the rejection of independence won by a decreasing margin (56.67 and 53.26%, respectively).

The third was celebrated with controversy, since the independence fighters boycotted him after asking for his postponement due to a wave of coronavirus. In those circumstances, the ‘no’ achieved 96.5% but with a participation of 43.87%.

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The territory, made up of three very separate archipelagos, is also characterized by strong social inequalities and faces an economic downturn due to the fall in the international price of nickel, the main source of income.

Tourism is not as developed as in the other French territory of the Pacific, Polynesia.

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.