International
José Andrés demands from the pulpit an independent investigation of the Israeli attack
Spanish chef José Andrés claimed this Thursday from the pulpit of the National Cathedral of Washington an independent investigation into the Israeli attack that ended on April 1 with the lives of seven co-workers of his NGO, World Central Kitchen (WCK).
The chef, dressed in black, reiterated his request during an exciting speech at Washington’s National Cathedral, where hundreds of people gathered for an interreligious ceremony aimed at paying tribute to the seven aid workers killed in the Israeli attack.
“I know that we all have many unanswered questions about what happened and why. There is no excuse for these murders. The official explanation is not enough. And obviously we continue to demand an investigation into the actions of the Israeli Armed Forces against our team,” he said.
The chef had already asked after the attack for an independent investigation into the attack on the WCK convoy and has urged the United States, Australia, Canada, Poland and the United Kingdom, countries of origin of the deceased aid workers, to join this call, although Washington has already refused to do so.
“Food can never be a weapon of war, humanitarian workers can never be a target because they are the best of us,” said José Andrés, who said that “every civil life is sacred and should never be treated as collateral damage.”
Quoting the writer Elie Wiesel, José Andrés called for an end to indifference.
“The opposite of love is not hatred, it is indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it is indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it is indifference. It’s time to put an end to indifference,” he asked.
The chef began his speech by talking one to one of the seven deceased aid workers: the Palestinian Saifeddin ‘Safi’ Issam Ayad Abutaha; the British John Chapman; the American and Canadian Jacob Flickinger; the Australian Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom; the British James Henderson and James Kirby; and the Polish Damian Sobol.
On several occasions, but especially when he talked about Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom from Australia, his voice broke when he spoke and he had to hold back his tears.
He described it as “the living, throbbing and smiling heart” of everything the NGO did on the ground to distribute food in conflict zones, where no one else can reach. “She was like a sister to me,” he said moved.
José Andrés said that these losses may “seem small” compared to the almost 200 humanitarian workers who have died in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war or the more than 34,000 Palestinians who have lost their lives in the Israeli offensive and the 1,200 Israelis who died in the Hamas attack on October 7.
However, he stated that each of the seven deceased members of his team had a family, friends, a life and a story full of light.
“When a disaster happens, it’s easy to see the darkness and never the light. But the reality is this, the light will always shine. We cannot ignore the suffering after a natural disaster or in a war zone. Today we cry and suffer with the families of our seven beloved heroes and the whole family of World Central Kitchen.
Just after the words of José Andrés, the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma played.
Among the audience was Douglas Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the White House.
The ceremony, called “Celebration of Life,” sought to mix prayers, hymns and sacred readings of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian tradition.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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