Connect with us

International

The US warns that it cannot support the Rafah invasion without seeing Israel’s plan to protect civilians

The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Monday from Riyadh that so far he has not seen any plan by Israel to guarantee the “effective” protection of civilians in the face of an invasion against the Palestinian town of Rafah, bordering Egypt.

“In the absence of a plan that guarantees that civilians will not suffer harm, we cannot support a large-scale military operation in Rafah and we have not yet seen a plan that gives us confidence that civilians can be effectively protected,” he said at the special session of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is held in Riyadh.

Israel’s potential offensive to Rafah, where about 1.4 million people displaced by the war live overcrowded, has become a red line for a large part of the international community, although this operation could be delayed in the event of a ceasefire.

The head of US diplomacy has traveled to Riyadh to coordinate with his colleagues from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), made up of six Arab countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the positions regarding the efforts to reach a pause in Gaza, and participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in the Saudi capital.

Before his speech at the Forum, Blinken addressed in a bilateral meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, efforts to reach a truce in Gaza and increase aid to civilians in the Palestinian enclave, Saudi sources reported.

Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_728x90
20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
domfuturo_netview-728x90
20240604_dom_728x90
CEL
previous arrow
next arrow

At the meeting, Blinken and Bin Farhan “dealt with the situation in Gaza and other issues of common interest,” reported the official Saudi television channel Al Ejbaria, which disseminated images of the event.

Saudi television also broadcast images of the arrival of the heads of Foreign Affairs of the GCC at the meeting with Blinken, who landed on Monday in Riyadh on his seventh visit to the Middle East since the beginning of the war in Gaza, last October.

Along with the situation in Gaza, the US Secretary of State dealt with the heads of the diplomacies of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, the “threat from Iran” and the Shiite Houthi rebels of Yemen.

After his visit to Riyadh, he will move to Israel and Jordan and meet with humanitarian organizations.

Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_728x90
20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
domfuturo_netview-728x90
20240604_dom_728x90
CEL
previous arrow
next arrow
Continue Reading
Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_300x250
20250301_vacunacion_vph-300x250
20231124_etesal_300x250_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_300X250
MARN1

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen in D.C. Restaurant Heist

The purse of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was stolen on Sunday night at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital confirmed through several agency sources.

The handbag, taken by a white male wearing a mask, reportedly contained $3,000 in cash along with personal documents, including her passport, keys, driver’s license, and DHS badge, according to an agency spokesperson.

“Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren. She was celebrating her retirement by treating them to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the spokesperson added.

Crime continues to be a significant issue in the U.S. capital, particularly theft. However, violent crime reached its lowest level in 30 years last year, according to the Office of the Attorney General at the time.

Continue Reading

International

Pope Francis: The Quiet Architect Behind the U.S.-Cuba Thaw

When then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in December 2014—after decades of hostility—there was a third figure present in both speeches: Pope Francis.

This thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations—later reversed by Donald Trump—was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations personally encouraged by Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, just over a year after becoming head of the Catholic Church.

Upon learning the news of the breakthrough, the pontiff humbly stated, “This was made possible thanks to the ambassadors and to diplomacy,” which he called “a noble, very noble job.”

In 2015, months after the announcement, Raúl Castro visited the Vatican and met with the pope. Over time, Castro developed a fondness for Francis that he never had for his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. “If the Pope continues talking like this, sooner or later I’ll start praying again and return to the Catholic Church—and I’m not joking,” said the younger Castro, who, like his brother Fidel (1926–2016), had been educated by Jesuits—the same order to which Pope Francis belonged.

Pope Francis visited Cuba later that year. Just days before his arrival, the Cuban government announced the pardon of 3,522 common prisoners as an act of clemency.

Advertisement
20250407_mh_renta_728x90
20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90
20231124_etesal_728x90_1
20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90
domfuturo_netview-728x90
20240604_dom_728x90
CEL
previous arrow
next arrow

While in Havana, the pope met with Fidel Castro, who gave him a first edition of the book Fidel and Religion by Brazilian friar and liberation theologian Frei Betto.

Criticism from the Opposition

Francis’s diplomatic approach also drew criticism from parts of the Cuban opposition. In a 2022 interview with Univision, the pope revealed he had “a human relationship” with Raúl Castro.

Continue Reading

International

Dominican Republic Declares Three Days of Mourning for Pope Francis

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning starting Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta.

In an official decree, Abinader highlighted the pope’s legacy “as a global leader who promoted significant reforms within the Catholic Church and was known for his humility, openness to dialogue, and commitment to peace among nations.”

During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-staff at military facilities and public buildings.

According to a statement from the Office of the Presidency, although Pope Francis never visited the Dominican Republic during his papacy, he maintained a close relationship with the country. He expressed solidarity and empathy during difficult times, including offering prayers for the victims of the recent tragedy at a Santo Domingo nightclub on April 8, which claimed 232 lives and left more than 180 injured.

Continue Reading

Trending

Central News