International
Colombian Priest officiates mass to faithful in cars
Catholic Priest, Luis Carlos Ayala, has found another way to accommodate the Church’s traditions to officiate masses. The COVID-19 quarantine, decreed since March, forced the adjustment of practices and introduced various health measures.
Religion and its ceremonies have been no exception. In Colombia, hundreds of Catholics faithful have changed their routine to attend Eucharist on Sundays. Now, they do it from their cars, as if they were in a drive-in movie.
In the municipality of Chia, north of Bogota, mass has been officiated in this way for three consecutive weeks now. The Priest said that one of the greatest moments is when the host is delivered. He considers that, the moment where he is able “to be close to others, to see their faces, the joy and peace they experience.”
International
Gaza ceasefire at risk after Trump’s ultimatum on hostages, says Hamas
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/gazza.jpeg)
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is hanging by a thread after the Palestinian Islamist movement warned on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats were making the situation “even more complicated” for the ongoing truce in the region.
On Monday, the Republican leader threatened to unleash “hell” in Gaza if Israeli hostages are not released by Saturday, as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement in effect since January 19.
“Trump must remember that there is an agreement (for a ceasefire) that both parties must respect, and that is the only way to bring back the prisoners,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, one of Hamas’ leaders.
“The language of threats has no value and only complicates matters further,” he emphasized.
Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007, announced on Monday that it was indefinitely postponing the next hostage release, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar with the help of the United States and Egypt.
However, the Islamist movement stated that the door for the hostages’ release remains “open” if Israel fulfills its obligations.
On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Hamas to release the hostages.
“We must do everything we can to prevent hostilities from resuming in Gaza, which would lead to a huge tragedy,”he wrote on the social media platform X.
The ceasefire halted more than fifteen months of conflict in the Gaza Strip, allowing for five hostage exchanges after Hamas took Israeli hostages on October 7, 2023, in return for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
International
Luisa González criticizes Daniel Noboa for hiding after narrow first-round defeat
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Luisa-Gonzalez.jpeg)
Luisa González, the presidential candidate from the correísmo movement, compared her electoral confrontation with current Ecuadorian president and re-election candidate Daniel Noboa to “a battle of David against Goliath.” She stated that Noboa “feels like a loser, which is why he hides” after she nearly surpassed him in votes in the first round.
In an interview with EFE, the first she gave to an international media outlet after becoming the main protagonist of Sunday’s electoral night, González expressed her joy over the best result for correísmo in a first round without former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) as a candidate, calling it “a great victory.”
With 96.31% of votes counted, González (Revolución Ciudadana) received 43.96% of valid votes, compared to 44.15% for Noboa (ADN), leading both candidates to a second round, as occurred in 2023, when the businessman won to complete the term of President Guillermo Lasso.
After the results were revealed, Noboa did not appear publicly on Sunday, and on Monday, he issued a written statement declaring himself the winner of the first round. González found this statement “very amusing,” as she claims to have received two percentage points more than Noboa.
“The one who feels like a winner goes out, faces the media, and says ‘I won,’ just like I’m doing. He feels like a loser, which is why he hides from the media, from his supporters, and from the country,” stated González, a 47-year-old lawyer and single mother of two who aims to become the first woman to win Ecuador’s presidential elections.
International
Gulf of Mexico renamed “Gulf of America” on Google Maps following Trump’s executive order
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/golfo-de-america.png)
The Gulf of Mexico was officially renamed the “Gulf of America” on Google Maps.
The name change for the oceanic basin — shared by the United States, Mexico, and Cuba — went into effect on Monday across the country. Both names now appear for Google Maps users outside the U.S., while the Gulf of Mexiconame remains in place in Mexico.
The renaming was carried out after Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness” on his first day in office, January 20, asserting that the Gulf should celebrate the United States, not Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico had carried that name since the 17th century.
Google stated that it would comply with the Trump order, but only after an update in the U.S. Geographic Names System (USGS).
-
International4 days ago
Daniel Noboa, a ‘millennial’ president, unpredictable and with a heavy hand
-
International4 days ago
Trump announces his intention to have diplomatic “relations” with North Korea
-
International4 days ago
Mexico’s Sheinbaum urges U.S. to target cartels on its own soil
-
International4 days ago
More than 400,000 migrants passed the Darién in 2024, according to the Colombian Ombudsman’s Office
-
International4 days ago
Humala says that if Odebrecht sent money to his campaign, his manager stole it in Peru
-
International4 days ago
Florida Governor announces Highway Patrol to perform Immigration tasks
-
International4 days ago
Trump strips Biden of classified briefings: ‘Joe, you’re fired’
-
International1 day ago
Saudi PhD student’s sentence reduced to 4 years after Twitter activity
-
International3 days ago
Milei’s government moves forward with privatization of Belgrano Cargas
-
International4 days ago
Trudeau warns that Trump wants to annex Canada to get his critical minerals
-
International3 days ago
Powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Honduras and the Caribbean
-
International4 days ago
Elon Musk submits to a poll in X the readmission of a “racist” employee of his department
-
Central America1 day ago
Humpback whale found dead on Guatemala’s Pacific Coast
-
International8 hours ago
Venezuela welcomes first group of deported migrants following U.S. diplomatic agreement
-
International1 day ago
Paraguayan authorities dismantle alleged drug trafficking network inside prison
-
International4 days ago
Trump will receive Zelenski in the US next week and talk to Putin on the phone
-
International1 day ago
Klaus Iohannis resigns as romanian president following growing opposition pressure
-
International1 day ago
Victims of Álvaro Uribe case request international observers for trial
-
International4 days ago
Luisa González, Correa’s bishop who seeks revenge against Noboa
-
International4 days ago
Seventy-nine countries sign a declaration of support for the ICC after US sanctions
-
International8 hours ago
Trump nominates Terry Dale as DEA director
-
International4 days ago
Hamas announces the names of the three Israeli hostages who will leave Gaza tomorrow
-
International8 hours ago
Gulf of Mexico renamed “Gulf of America” on Google Maps following Trump’s executive order
-
International7 hours ago
Luisa González criticizes Daniel Noboa for hiding after narrow first-round defeat
-
International7 hours ago
Gaza ceasefire at risk after Trump’s ultimatum on hostages, says Hamas
-
International4 days ago
Trump says he sees Gaza as a “real estate transaction” and rules out deploying troops