International
The US announces new sanctions against Iran for the attack on Israel
U.S. President Joe Biden announced new sanctions against Iran, directed against its Revolutionary Guard and the Ministry of Defense, for the attack on Israel.
Through a statement signed by the spokesman of the State Department, Matthew Miller, the US Government explained that it is also targeting the unmanned aerial vehicle program, the steel industry and the automobile companies of Iran.
“In response to Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel, the United States is taking radical measures against several actors involved in Iran’s unmanned aerial vehicle program, suppliers and customers of one of Iran’s largest steel producers and Iranian automotive companies with connections to the United States,” the statement said.
The designated entities are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Armed Forces (MODAFL).
In total, the Treasury Department imposes sanctions on 16 people and two entities that allow the production and testing of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as the proliferation of actors working on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, its unmanned aerial production division, Kimia Part Sivan Company, and other Iranian manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicle engines.
The Treasury also sanctions five companies that supply component materials for steel production to the Khuzestan Steel Company (KSC) of Iran, an entity sanctioned by the United States, or that buy finished steel products from the KSC.
In addition, the Treasury sanctions the Iranian car manufacturer Bahman Group and three of its subsidiaries, which have continued to materially support the IRGC and other sanctioned entities.
Finally, the Department of Commerce imposes new controls to restrict Iran’s access to technologies such as basic commercial-grade microelectronics.
“We will continue to work with our allies and partners to use the full range of tools at our disposal to address income flows and disrupt the networks that support Iran’s reckless proliferation of weapons that destabilize the Middle East and beyond,” Miller said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last Tuesday that the United States and its partners were coordinating a new round of sanctions against Iran for the attack on Israel, the first launched by Tehran directly against Israeli territory.
Several countries had previously designated the Revolutionary Guard, a branch of the Armed Forces of Iran created after the Islamic Revolution of 1979, as a terrorist group.
In 2019, the United States included the Revolutionary Guard on the blacklist of terrorist groups, while the Government of Canada already said in January of this year that it was studying ways to include the Revolutionary Guard on its list of terrorist organizations.
International
Regional mexican music mourns the death of Banda Gota de Oro singer Giovanni Vera
Regional Mexican music is mourning the death of Giovanni Vera, lead vocalist of the band Banda Gota de Oro, who was among the victims of an armed attack that occurred on Sunday, December 28, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
The incident took place inside a residence located in the Los Presidentes neighborhood, in the municipality of Irapuato.
According to preliminary reports, several people were gathered at the house when armed men burst in and opened fire on those present. The attack left five people dead, including the singer.
Hours after the shooting, Banda Gota de Oro confirmed Vera’s death through its official Instagram account. In one of the posts, the group expressed its grief with an emotional message: “Today, the sky is dressed for a celebration because you are singing up there. Your voice and your joy will live on forever within us.”
Messages of support and condolences from fans and fellow musicians quickly flooded social media, paying tribute to the artist and expressing solidarity with his family and bandmates.
International
One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at Cree Nation in Saskatchewan
One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting reported early Tuesday in the Big Island Lake Cree Nation, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, according to local media.
Police said they were alerted to the incident in a remote area located approximately 392 kilometers northwest of the city of Saskatoon. Authorities issued a dangerous persons alert for two suspects, who were described as armed.
Saskatchewan police urged residents to seek shelter immediately, lock their doors, and avoid the area while the situation remains under investigation. Officers are working to determine whether the shooting was a targeted attack or a random act of violence.
As a precautionary measure, seven health-care facilities in the surrounding area were placed under lockdown, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in a post on X.
International
Mexico’s President Visits Victims After Train Derailment Kills 13 in Oaxaca
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum visited on Monday the victims injured in a train accident that left 13 people dead in the southern state of Oaxaca and announced financial assistance for those affected by the derailment of the Interoceanic Train, which was inaugurated in 2023.
The train, carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members, derailed on Sunday while traveling along the Interoceanic Corridor, a major infrastructure project that connects the Pacific coast with the Gulf of Mexico across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The corridor was one of the flagship initiatives of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration (2018–2024).
Sheinbaum visited three hospitals in the neighboring towns of Tehuantepec and Salina Cruz, where around 20 injured passengers remain hospitalized. She also went to a funeral home to accompany the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.
According to Mexico’s Navy Secretary, Raymundo Morales, the accident occurred when one of the locomotives derailed, causing all four railcars to leave the tracks.
Regional mexican music mourns the death of Banda Gota de Oro singer Giovanni Vera
One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at Cree Nation in Saskatchewan
Mexico’s President Visits Victims After Train Derailment Kills 13 in Oaxaca
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Regional mexican music mourns the death of Banda Gota de Oro singer Giovanni Vera