International
Hezbulá will continue with “the same war plan” against Israel, says its new leader
The new leader of Hizbulah, Naim Qasem, said on Wednesday in his first speech as head of the formation that the Lebanese Shiite group will continue with “the same war plan” against Israel drawn up by its predecessor, Hassan Nasrala, killed just over a month ago in a massive bombing of the Israeli Army.
“The work schedule is the same as with Hasán Nasrala. We continue with the same war plan,” Qasem said in a televised speech in which he appeared next to the flags of Lebanon, of Hizbulah and a framed photo of his predecessor, who always promised that the group would cease its attacks against Israel if a truce was reached in Gaza.
In a serene tone, the septuagenary clergyman said that the Strip, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East are facing “an Israeli, American and European war with all its power,” while denouncing that a “genocide” is being committed in the devastated Palestinian enclave and, now, in Lebanese territory.
“We always said that we do not want war, but we are prepared if it has been imposed on us and we will do it firmly and we will succeed, God willing,” insisted Qasem, who said that Hezbulla’s only objective “is to protect Lebanon” and “support Palestine.”
Israel’s “brutality” in Gaza and Lebanon
He also acknowledged that the group “has paid the price for the convictions of liberation,” in reference to the dozens of deaths of high-ranking officials in Hezbulá – including that of Nasrala – since the beginning of the clashes with Israel on October 8, 2023, one day after the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip.
However, he insisted on the group’s “need” to respond to Israel’s “brutality” in Gaza and Lebanon.
“More than 43,000 martyrs do not move the world? 100,000 wounded don’t shake the world? Not even the murder of children? This crime must be addressed,” Qasem justified in reference to the deaths in the Palestinian enclave since the beginning of the war more than a year ago.
On the other hand, he acknowledged that Iran “supports” Hezbollah but insisted that the Islamic Republic “does not want anything” in return, only “the liberation of the Lebanese land.”
“We welcome any Arab, Islamic or world country if it wants to support us. We don’t say no to anyone who supports us in the world, be it Western, Arab or whoever. We will not say no,” insisted the clergyman, who was appointed on Tuesday as the new general secretary of the organization.
Naim Qasem said that the Shiite group has the ability to continue facing Israel “for months,” although he reiterated that the armed formation is willing to agree to a ceasefire “with conditions.”
“We can continue for months, I won’t say more,” said the septuagenary clergyman in his first speech after being appointed yesterday as the new secretary general of Hizbulah to succeed Hassan Nasrala, murdered a month ago by Israel in a massive bombing against the southern suburbs of Beirut known as the Dahye.
During his speek, he asked for “patience” from the combatants and the Lebanese, while demanding to leave Lebanon the soldiers of Israel, which began an invasion of the southern Mediterranean country in early October: “Get out of our land to reduce your losses, if you stay you will see defeat,” he said.
“Will the war be prolonged? It seems that the US elections will be a turning point,” Qasem asked himself, who indicated that “there may be someone who inhibits (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu” to stop hostilities, he said.
“Indirect” negotiations
On the other hand, Qasem assured that Hezbulah is willing to hold “indirect” negotiations with Israel to reach a truce that ends more than a year of war, which has caused the death of more than 2,700 people and the displacement of more than 1.2 million others in Lebanon alone, in addition to the annihilation of much of the leadership of the Shiite armed formation.
“If the enemy decides (to agree) on a ceasefire, we will say yes, but with conditions. The way will be to hold indirect negotiations for this purpose,” said the cleric, who in early October – when he was the number two of Hezbullah – gave his support to some truce talks mediated by the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri.
In this sense, he recalled that Berri, who also leads the Shiite group Amal, an ally of Hezbulá, is “the pillar of the negotiations,” although he regretted that “there is still no clear project that is consensual” to put an end to hostilities.
Berri, who has been president of Parliament for three decades, is a crucial figure who serves as the group’s communication channel with the rest of the Lebanese political spectrum.
“We always said that we do not want war, but we are prepared if it has been imposed on us and we will do it firmly and we will succeed, God willing,” insisted Qasem, who said that Hezbulla’s only objective “is to protect Lebanon” and “support Palestine.”
Israel says the mandate of the new leader will be “temporary”
Shortly after the appointment, Israel’s Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, targeted the septuagenary cleric and assured in a brief message on his official X account that his mandate will be “temporary” and “not for long.”
After a little more than a month of the assassination of Nasrala, the group has decided to choose the one who was the number two of the formation and who has been in charge of giving the three television speeches offered after the death of the previous head of Hezbullah, who was in charge for three decades.
This decision has been made after last week Hizbula confirmed the death of Hashem Safi al Din, head of the Executive Council of the formation and considered one of the main candidates to head the group.
He has been considered one of the main spokesmen of the Shiite group and the highest level figure who has even given interviews to foreign media.
International
Government paves the way for ‘Gordo Dan’, from the “armed arm of Milei”, to be a candidate
The head of staff of the Argentine government, Guillermo Francos, said this Friday that the far-right influencer Daniel Parisini, known as ‘Gordo Dan’ on social networks and visible face of the so-called ‘armed arm of Milei’, would be a “good candidate” for the 2025 legislative elections.
Francos’ statements to the Urbana Play radio station come in the midst of controversy over the presentation, last weekend, of the group ‘Fuerzas del Cielo’ by followers of the Argentine president, including Parasini, who described the movement as “the armed arm of Milei.”
“He’s a good candidate. He is a professional, a doctor, he has clarity, positioning him in more extreme positions makes no sense. She is a normal, balanced person, questioning the status quo, who wants Argentina to change, like many people,” Francos said.
‘Forces of Heaven’
Regarding the presentation of the ‘Forces of Heaven’, he indicated that “the impact on that act of a group of militants who decided to work together has been exaggerated” and added: “Who talked about weapons? He referred to the weapons of democracy, the use of the word through the cell phone and Twitter.”
“Today much more sophisticated mechanisms are used, networks are important for the dissemination of political ideas, but from there to interpret that this is a crisis armed with firearms,” he added.
The words of Javier Milei’s chief of staff, more than reassuring, have been interpreted as a way to pave the way for ‘Gordo Dan’ to be a candidate in 2025, according to the country’s media.
Gordo Dan repeats Javier Milei’s slogans
At the presentation of ‘Fuerzas del Cielo’, in the town of Buenos Aires de San Miguel, the speakers presented a fascist scenography, with banners with the legend “Argentina will be the lighthouse that illuminates the world” and allusions to the homeland, private property, freedom and family.
The main speaker was ‘Gordo Dan’, who attacked progressivism and repeated Milei’s slogans.
The newspaper Perfil publishes that Santiago Caputo, Milei’s advisor and strategist of the campaign that led him to victory a year ago, is the “shadowy leader” and Parasini, the visible face and “maximum reference” of the movement.
A group that, apparently, has the approval of Karina, the president’s sister and general secretary of the Presidency.
Neither Caputo nor Karina were at last Saturday’s event, but the far-right ideologue Agustín Laje, a personal friend of the president, was.
Who is Gordo Dan?
Daniel Parisini is a 32-year-old doctor who does not practice, originally from the province of Santiago del Estero (northern Argentina) and a militant since its beginnings of La Libertad Avanza (LLA), the far-right party created by Javier and Karina Milei.
Since Milei is president, the content creator walks around the Casa Rosada, attends official events and even advances dismissals of officials, despite not having a position in the Government.
He is the unofficial spokesperson to move the networks, a ‘troll’ that points to opponents. In his streaming program ‘La Misa’ he makes propaganda to the ‘libertarian’ universe, as he himself describes it, with all kinds of attacks on kirchenism, those who question the ideas of the LLA and feminism.
According to Perfil, Parasini is a partner of Carajo S.A., the company that has created the Carajo channel, from where La Misa is transmitted.
According to the company Rating Streaming, ‘Gordo Dan’ is the most influential in X and makes a big difference to the next most powerful of the networks in Argentina. It has 269,000 followers.
Last August, the Association of Argentine Television and Radio Journalists (APTRA) presented him with the Martín Fierro Digital 2024 award, in the category “the most influential in X”, and in his speech he thanked Alberto Fernández for “destroying Kirchnerism.”
International
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office investigates María Corina Machado for supporting a law approved in the US House of Law
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office announced this Friday the opening of an investigation against the leader of anti-Chavismo María Corina Machado for – she assured – supporting the bill approved in the United States House of Representatives that prohibits US government institutions from hiring people or companies that have commercial ties with the Chavista Executive.
Through a statement published on Instagram, the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor’s Office) maintained that it decided to start this investigation against Machado to “be charged with his promotion and support for said legal defense that terrible sponsors criminal acts against the Venezuelan people.”
The crime for which the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Machado is “treason to the homeland”
The institution maintained that the pronouncements made by Machado in favor of this bill constitute the commission of the crimes of “treason to the homeland”, conspiracy with foreign countries, as well as criminal association.
On Wednesday, Machado foresaw consequences for the government of Nicolás Maduro for this bill.
“The Bolivar law (officially Law of Prohibition of Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Authoritarian Regime of Venezuela) sends a clear message to the regime: repression and criminal activities have consequences and no one will be able to normalize them,” Machado said through X, although the rule must be approved by the Senate for it to become effective.
Meanwhile, President Nicolás Maduro described the rule as “garbage,” while warning that those opponents who support this bill will be committing crimes, so they will have to comply with “the judicial consequences”, without specifying what they would be.
Perpetual disqualification
On Thursday, the Parliament – controlled by Chavismo – approved the discussion of an organic law that seeks to politically disqualify those who request countries, “terrorist groups or associations,” to impose economic sanctions against the Caribbean nation.
The bill was unanimously approved in the plenary, in which the president of the Chamber, the Chavista Jorge Rodríguez, insisted that the political disqualification must be perpetual.
The Bolivar bill was presented by Florida representatives Mike Waltz, Republican, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat, who consider, in the words of the first, that the United States must “maintain the existing sanctions against the regime and seek to expand them to minimize Maduro’s resources to abuse the freedoms and prosperity of the Venezuelan people.”
International
Trump appoints new members to his government cabinet
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, announced four new nominations for his government cabinet, some of which will have to be ratified by the US Senate starting January 20, 2025.
The most controversial of them is that of Russell Thurlow Vought, one of the “architectures” of the ultra-conservative government program Project 2025, to be at the head of the Office of Management and Budget of his future Administration.
Vought, 48, was already in charge of that same portfolio during part of Trump’s first term (2017-2021).
“He did an excellent job: we removed four regulations for each new regulation, and it was a great success!” he said in a statement from his transition team.
A “cost reducer” in the cabinet
Trump recalled that Vought has spent many years working on public policies in Washington and is an “aggressive cost reducer and deregulator” who will help his government cabinet implement his “United States first” agenda in all agencies.
“He knows exactly how to dismantle the deep State (…) and will help us return self-government to the people,” added the future president about his chosen one.
An ex-NFL to Urban Planning and Housing
He also nominated in the Urban Planning and Housing portfolio of his future Administration the former American football player Scott Turner, who spent nine seasons in the National League of American Football (NFL) with the Washington Redskins, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.
During Trump’s first term (2017-2021) Turner served as the first executive director of the White House’s revitalization and opportunity office, dedicated to the most needy communities.
According to the statement of the transition team, these areas received thanks to their work about 50 billion dollars (about 48 billion euros) in private investment.
Trump also pointed out that Turner, originally from Texas, is a pastor at the Prestonwood Baptist Church.
“He will work with me to make the United States great again for EVERY American,” said the New York tycoon, who also congratulated the appointment of the woman and the son of his chosen one.
The Work portfolio at the hands of a Latina
On the other hand, the congresswoman of Latin origin Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be his next Secretary of Labor.
“He has worked tirelessly with the business and labor sector to develop the workforce of the United States and support working men and women,” said the former president, who won the elections on November 5 against Democrat Kamala Harris.
As the congresswoman explained so far, her grandmother’s family emigrated to the United States from Mexico so that her children could live a better life and achieve their American dream.
“I am proud of my Latin roots and the achievements achieved by the Hispanic community in our great country,” she said in a Facebook post.
Chavez-DeRemer began her career in public service in 2002 at the Parks Committee of the city of Happy Valley, Oregon, and later won a position on the City Council, of which she was later president.
She was elected mayor in 2010, becoming the first Latino mayor of the municipality, and re-elected in 2014.
In 2022 she was elected to the US House of Representatives to represent the fifth district of the Oregon Congress.
A billionaire to take care of the Treasury
For the cabinet’s Treasury portfolio, Trump trusted billionaire Scott Bessent, investor and fund manager.
Bessent is the founder of the macro-investment firm Key Square Group, in the last election campaign he hosted a fundraising event for the Republican in South Carolina and Trump has described him in the past as one of the brightest minds on Wall Street.
In the event that his nomination is confirmed and validated by the Senate, Bessent awaits Bessen a crucial role in overseeing a broad portfolio that will cover international trade, taxes, financial regulation and US sanctions.
The Washington Post newspaper pointed out that people close to Trump’s transition team point out that the financier caught his attention in part because of his negative predictions about the impact of a possible Democratic victory in the elections of last November 5.
Bessent, who studied at Yale, was manager of George Soros’ fortune, but left the investor and philanthropist’s firm to set up his own fund.
Government paves the way for ‘Gordo Dan’, from the “armed arm of Milei”, to be a candidate
The Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office investigates María Corina Machado for supporting a law approved in the US House of Law
Trump appoints new members to his government cabinet
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Government paves the way for ‘Gordo Dan’, from the “armed arm of Milei”, to be a candidate