International
Israel says that the attack of one of its tanks on the UNFIL tower is “being studied”
The Israeli Army assured tonight that the attack of one of its tanks on a watchtower of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNFINUL), which the organization denounced this afternoon, “is being examined.”
Without confirming or denying the attack, the Israeli armed forces said in a statement that they were “carrying out operational activity” against Hezbula, but that “the sites and forces of the FINUL are not an objective.”
“Any irregular incident will be thoroughly examined,” they claimed, although so far the rest of the Israeli attacks that have affected the UNIFIL and have left at least five injured have not had repercussions on the Hebrew Army.
This afternoon, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNFINUL) accused the armed forces of opening “direct and apparently deliberate fire” against one of its positions near Kafer Kela, where an Israeli Merkava tank fired at an observation tower and destroyed two surveillance cameras.
In a brief statement, FINUL explained that peacekeeping forces observed this morning, in a position close to Kafer Kela, “a Merkava tank of the FDI (Israeli Defense Forces) shooting at its watchtower,” in an attack in which “two cameras were destroyed and the tower was damaged.”
“Once again we see direct and apparently deliberate fire against a position of the UNFILL,” added the note in which the UN mission reminded the Israeli Army and all the actors involved in the conflict “their obligation to guarantee the safety of UN personnel and property and to respect at all times the inviolability of their facilities.”
The attacks
Also on Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that “it is the terrorist organization Hezbulla that uses UNIFIL personnel as ‘human shields’, deliberately attacking Army soldiers from locations near the positions of the FINUL to create friction” in a statement on the social network X.
In the text, the minister insisted that the Hebrew State “has no intention of harming” the blue helmets.
Three days ago, the UN mission already reported that two Israeli tanks entered their position in southern Lebanon, from which they left 45 minutes after UNFIL protested through the liaison mechanism.
Subsequently, he reported several shots 100 meters north of the base that emitted smoke that caused skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions in at least 15 troops of the mission.
The UN mission denounced the day before, on Saturday, that one of its soldiers was wounded “by gunshots” at its headquarters in Naqoura (south), bringing to five the number of blue helmets injured in incidents in three days, attributed to Israel.
UNFIL is located in Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbulah.
International
Three Killed, Four Injured in Shooting Near Seattle’s Space Needle
Three people were killed and at least four others, including a young child, were injured in a shooting near Seattle’s iconic Space Needle on Sunday, authorities said.
The shooting occurred during the annual Bite of Seattle food festival, held in one of the city’s busiest tourist areas. Police have arrested one suspect and are searching for a second individual believed to be involved.
Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis said officers responded to reports of gunfire at about 6:00 p.m. local time (0100 GMT Monday).
“Two individuals were shooting at each other,” Davis said, adding that investigators recovered two firearms at the scene.
Authorities confirmed that three people died as a result of the shooting. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said members of the State Patrol’s SWAT team had been deployed to assist Seattle police with the investigation.
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson described the incident as a “horrific act of violence.”
“Our focus is on those who lost their lives, those fighting to recover, and the families standing beside them,” Wilson said in a statement.
Susan Gregg, a spokesperson for Harborview Medical Center, said the hospital admitted four victims: a young child, a 23-year-old man, a 39-year-old woman and another woman whose age was not immediately known and who required emergency surgery.
According to police, the hospitalized victims are in stable condition.
Witnesses told local television station KIRO that they heard multiple gunshots before crowds fled the festival area.
“At first I thought it was fireworks, and then everyone started running,” witness Nick Bate told the station.
Another witness told AFP that panic spread immediately after the shooting.
“We just started running. I didn’t even look to see where the shooter was. I just kept hearing the gunfire,” the witness said.
International
China Accuses U.S. AI Firms of Using Chinese Models to Train Artificial Intelligence
China on Monday accused U.S. artificial intelligence companies of using Chinese AI models to train their own systems, escalating tensions in the technological rivalry between the world’s two largest economies.
In a statement, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it has evidence that “many U.S. artificial intelligence companies have distilled Chinese models during their research, development and training processes.”
Model distillation is a machine learning technique that transfers knowledge from a larger, more advanced model to a smaller and faster one, allowing it to perform efficiently while requiring fewer computing resources. The approach is widely used across the AI industry.
U.S. officials have previously argued that Chinese firms employ distillation on a large scale to unlawfully replicate proprietary American AI systems. Beijing dismissed those allegations, calling them unfounded.
According to the Chinese ministry, Washington’s accusations “lack both factual and legal basis, apply double standards in practice, and represent a typical act of AI hegemony.”
“China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” the ministry added.
The statement comes days after a senior White House official accused Chinese startup Moonshot AI of secretly copying Anthropic’s most advanced AI model to develop its Kimi K3 system.
Moonshot’s latest model drew significant attention across the U.S. technology sector following its release, reigniting debate over China’s growing competitiveness in artificial intelligence.
Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Washington could impose sanctions on China as the administration considers restricting or banning foreign-developed open-source AI models, many of which are built using model distillation techniques.
International
Costa Rica Seeks to Expand Extradition Law to Target Organized Crime
Costa Rican President Laura Fernández announced that her administration will submit a constitutional reform bill to Congress on August 3 aimed at expanding the legal grounds for extraditing Costa Rican nationals accused of serious crimes.
Under current legislation, Costa Rican citizens can only be extradited to face prosecution abroad for international drug trafficking and terrorism. The proposed reform would broaden that list to include a wider range of organized crime offenses.
Speaking before the Legislative Assembly while presenting a broader package of public security initiatives, Fernández said the proposal seeks to strengthen the country’s fight against transnational criminal organizations.
“We are going to expand the grounds for extradition to include serious crimes,” the president said.
The initiative would allow the extradition of Costa Rican nationals accused of financing drug trafficking or terrorism, money laundering, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, arms and organ trafficking, contract killings, organized crime-related homicides, cybercrime and cyberterrorism.
“We will not stop in our national crusade against organized crime or in our relentless war against drug trafficking,” Fernández said.
A political ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, Fernández took office in May after campaigning on a promise to adopt a tougher stance against organized crime, which she has linked to the recent rise in violence in Costa Rica, a country long regarded as one of the safest in Latin America.
Costa Rica currently permits the extradition of its own citizens only for international drug trafficking and terrorism, following a 2025 constitutional amendment promoted by former President Rodrigo Chaves, who now serves as the country’s Minister of the Presidency and Finance.
Three Killed, Four Injured in Shooting Near Seattle’s Space Needle
China Accuses U.S. AI Firms of Using Chinese Models to Train Artificial Intelligence
Costa Rica Seeks to Expand Extradition Law to Target Organized Crime
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America4 days agoCDC Issues Level 2 Travel Alert for Costa Rica Amid Chikungunya Outbreak
-
International3 days agoWildfires in France Burn Nearly Three Times More Land Than in 2025, Interior Minister Says
-
Central America4 days agoHonduras Warns of Possible New Dengue Epidemic as Cases Continue to Rise
-
International3 days agoIsrael Says Saudi Recognition Would Mark ‘Historic Breakthrough’ for Middle East Peace
-
Central America21 hours agoEU Urges Nicaragua to Hold Free and Transparent Elections Amid Proposed Electoral Reforms
-
International4 hours agoCosta Rica Seeks to Expand Extradition Law to Target Organized Crime
-
International4 hours agoChina Accuses U.S. AI Firms of Using Chinese Models to Train Artificial Intelligence
-
International3 hours agoThree Killed, Four Injured in Shooting Near Seattle’s Space Needle