International

Milei denies that Scholz has mentioned the social impact of the reforms in Argentina

The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, denied on Monday that the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has mentioned to him, at the meeting they held in Berlin, the impact on the social situation of the strong reforms he is making to lower inflation.

“He never mentioned that to me,” “at no time,” Milei replied in an interview on Mitre radio in Argentina, since the official German statement indicated that Scholz stressed the importance of the “social compatibility” of the reforms undertaken by the president.

Milei met with the head of the German Government during the third stopover of his European tour – which the Argentine president describes as “an excellent trip” – which began in Madrid, continued in Hamburg, and after passing through Berlin, he will meet this Monday with the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, the conservative Petr Fiala.

“Afar from questioning social policy, (the German authorities) weigh it, because they understand that in the face of an adjustment of this caliber and the initial conditions, social policy has had to be extremely good, because in the face of what we have done, it would have been a catastrophe if we had not acted correctly,” Milei explained in another section of the interview.

Milei has managed to reach the fiscal surplus in the first five months of the year, from a deficit of 6% of GDP in 2023, at the expense of a hard adjustment, which allowed him to slow inflation at a rate of 4.2% monthly last May and 276.4% year-on-on-year.

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“It was a very productive meeting” and “extremely positive,” Milei said when talking about his meeting with Scholz, the first he has with a social democratic leader since he took the presidency, on December 10.

“The German minister asked us about how the economic program was working, given that (Germany) has an important weight in the IMF,” since Argentina intends to renegotiate (with the IMF) the financing program for more than $41 billion, and “what were the prospects for the future,” Milei explained.

“We have talked about the inconveniences of German companies in Argentina and how we were making progress in solving those problems,” Milei added.

Germany is the eighth foreign investor in Argentina, with interests in the manufacturing, mineral and oil extraction and retail and wholesale sectors, and with the presence of companies such as Siemens, Volkswagen and Bayer.

President Milei also referred to the “issue of natural resources, of extreme importance for Germany,” which “woust be motivating many investments to be made in Argentina,” since both leaders addressed global energy security and the importance of having critical minerals.

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Milei mentioned that, as indicated in the official statement issued at the end of the meeting, Argentina’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the integration of Mercosur with the European Union (EU) was also discussed.

In addition, they talked about Argentina’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and agreed that Russia has in its hands to end the war of aggression against Ukraine.

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.