International
Irish mobster Hutch is rending for general elections after arrest in Spain
Dublin gangster Gerard Hutch, popularly known as ‘The Monk’, confirmed on Monday his intention to run in the Irish general elections, while he is on bail after being arrested in Lanzarote (Spain) last October.
Hutch, whom the police consider the leader of one of the most dangerous organized crime organizations in this country, assured the media today upon his arrival at Dublin airport that he will be a “one hundred percent” candidate in the elections of November 29.
In the videos circulating on social networks, ‘El Monje’, 61, assured from Terminal 1 that he has begun the legal procedures to register as a candidate for a seat in the Dáil (lower house) for the northern district of Dublin, which includes some of the poorest areas of the capital.
He also stated that he is not concerned about his detention in Lanzarote (Canary Islands), where he resides for much of the year, and that he is “innocent.”
Alleged crime of money laundering
Hutch was arrested on October 25 along with eight other people for alleged money laundering crimes in the context of an international criminal organization, after a joint operation by the Spanish and Irish security forces, who also searched his home in Dublin.
Days later, the Court of Instruction number 2 of Arrecife (Lanzarote) released him on bail of 100,000 euros and decided not to impose additional precautionary measures.
In this regard, the High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands explained that the judge and the prosecutor of the case understood that removing Hutch’s passport or imposing some other restriction beyond the bail could cause irreparable damage to his right to run in the elections, while recalling that only a final judgment can prevent him from running in those elections.
In the event that this Dublin gangster finally becomes a candidate, most of his election campaign will run online, as he is threatened with death by the rival gang of the Kinahan family, one of the most persecuted organized crime organizations worldwide.
Both mafia families have been warting a war since 2016 that has claimed 18 fatalities to date, most of them on the Hutch side.
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
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
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