International
Hamas claims that one of the militiamen killed an Israeli hostage
The Qasam Brigades, armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas, announced on Monday that one of its militiamen opened fire and “instantaneously killed” an Israeli hostage, while two others kidnapped were seriously injured in another incident; while the Israeli Army assured that it has not been able to confirm the information by its own means.
“Two of our soldiers assigned as captive guards of the enemy opened fire on a Zionist hostage, killing him instantly,” the spokesman of the Qasa Brigades, Abu Obeida, said in a statement.
In a second “separate incident,” two kidnapped were seriously injured and “attempts are being made to save their lives,” Abu Obeida said.
The Israeli Army pointed out, for its part, that it does not have “intelligence information that allows the claims of Hamas to be refuted or confirmed.” “We will continue to examine and verify the credibility of the message and update with the information we obtain,” he added in a statement.
“The Zionist government is fully responsible for massacres and resulting reactions that affect the lives of Zionist prisoners,” said the spokesman for the military wing of Hamas, who pointed out that a committee has been formed to investigate what happened and “the conclusions will be announced later.”
Of the 251 kidnapped on October 7, 111 captives remain in the enclave, at least 39 of them dead as Israel has been able to confirm – more than 70 according to Hamas -; while there have been four other hostages for years, of them two dead.
Since the war began, Israel and Hamas only achieved a one-week truce agreement at the end of November, which allowed the release of 105 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners; while the international community is now trying to relaunch negotiations for a ceasefire.
Israel announced that it would send a delegation this Thursday, August 15, to meet with the meters -Egypt, Qatar and the United States – but Hamas announced last night that it would not attend the appointment, amid reports pointing to an attack by Iran and Hizbulah against Israel this week in retaliation for the murder in Tehran of the leader of the Palestinian Islamists, Ismail Haniyeh.
Of the total number of captives, four hostages were released by Hamas in October; seven rescued by the Army – one soldier in October, two in Rafah in February and four in Nuseirat in June -; while the bodies of 24 hostages have been recovered, three of whom accidentally killed Israeli troops in December in Shujaiya.
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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