International
Pentagon confirms death of air force member in self-immolation outside Israeli embassy
A spokesperson for the institution stated that the man, whose name was not disclosed, “succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night” on Sunday.
An active member of the United States Air Force died after self-immolating this weekend outside the Israeli embassy in Washington in protest of the conflict in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, the Pentagon reported on Monday.
A spokesperson for the institution stated that the man, whose name was not disclosed, “succumbed to his injuries and passed away last night” on Sunday. “We will provide additional details 24 hours after notifications to the relatives are completed,” they added.
Emergency teams responded on Sunday to the Israeli embassy in Washington just before 1:00 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT) following a “report of a person on fire” at that location, according to a message on the social media platform X from the Washington, D.C. Fire Department.
Upon arrival, they found that the fire had already been extinguished by Secret Service agents, the agency responsible for embassy protection in Washington.
Local media reported that the individual, dressed in uniform, apparently livestreamed on the social media platform Twitch, stating that he “will not be complicit in genocide” before dousing himself with liquid, in reference to Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
He then self-immolated while shouting “Free Palestine!” until he fell to the ground, according to reports.
The incident occurred amidst increasing protests in the United States against Israel’s military actions in Gaza, subjecting it to intense bombings and continuous ground operations in retaliation for the unprecedented attack perpetrated on its territory on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
On that day, militants killed 1,160 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli data.
The number of deaths in Gaza due to Israel’s response is nearing 30,000, mostly civilians, according to the Health Ministry of the area governed by Hamas, increasing international pressure on the United States to restrain its traditional ally Israel and call for a ceasefire.
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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Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
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