International

Mexico announces reforms against “external interference”, after the US designated the cartels as terrorists

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Thursday two reforms to the Constitution against “external interference” and to impose the “most severe penalty” on foreigners who intervene in Mexico after the United States declared six drug trafficking cartels terrorists.

In addition, the president reaffirmed in her morning conference that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) will expand its lawsuit against manufacturers and sellers of weapons in the United States to accuse them of accomplices in terrorism after this classification.

“What we want to make clear in the face of this designation is that we do not negotiate sovereignty, this cannot be an opportunity on the part of the US to invade our sovereignty, so they can give them the name they decide, but with Mexico it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination, not interference and less invasion,” he said.

Sheinbaum asked that “it be clear” that “there is no interference, there is no violation of sovereignty” despite the fact that the US State Department considers from now on the Sinaloa, Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), the Gulf, the Northeast, the New Michoacana Family and the United Cartels as terrorists.

“Both countries want to fight organized crime groups that commit illegal acts in both countries, and there we are working very well on coordination, but we have to guarantee that it is under collaboration and coordination, never violating Mexico’s sovereignty in any way,” he said.

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The change to article 40 of the Constitution will reinforce that “the people of Mexico under no circumstances will accept interventions, intrusions or any other act from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence and sovereignty of the Nation,” said the president.

This includes “coups d’état, interference in elections or the violation of Mexican territory, be it by land, water, sea or airspace.”

“Nor will he consent to any intervention in investigation and prosecution without the authorization and express collaboration of the Mexican State, within the framework of the applicable laws,” according to the head of the Executive.

Meanwhile, article 19 will warn that “any foreigner who carries out activities outside the law, linked” to these interferences, “will be imposed the most severe punishment possible, as well as unofficial preventive detention.”

After the appointment, the president raised her claims to the United States arms industry, the origin of almost three out of four weapons used by organized crime in Mexico, according to a report by the Department of Justice in January.

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The reform to article 19 also proposes that “any national or foreign national linked in the manufacture, distribution, alienation, transfer or internationalization to national territory in an illicit manner of weapons” shall be “imposed the most severe possible penalty”.

While the Foreign Ministry will expand the lawsuit it filed during the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) against American manufacturers and sellers of weapons, which it accuses of knowingly selling these supplies to cartels in Mexico.

“Given this appointment, there must be a link between those who sell weapons to these criminal groups that today have been cataloged with this name by the US Government, so there will be an expansion of this demand for complicity of those who sell weapons that are introduced” to Mexico, he said.

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.