International
Biden: “Our commitment to Israel’s security is armored”
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said on Wednesday that his country’s commitment to Israel’s security in the face of Iran’s threats “is armored.”
“As I have told Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, our commitment to Israel’s security against the threats of Iran and its allied groups is armored,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
“I say it again: armored. We are going to do everything we can to protect Israel’s security,” he added, referring to the threats made by Iran after Israel bombed its embassy in Damascus.
Biden and Kishida spoke at a meeting about the security of Israel but also about the war in the Gaza Strip, where both support the proposal for a truce that will alleviate the humanitarian crisis and the release of hostages from Hamas.
In addition, the US president again referred to the possibility of the United States changing its position regarding that conflict, just as Biden warned Netanyahu that it could happen if Israel continued with its current strategy.
“We will see what (Netanyahu) does in terms of fulfilling the commitments he made with me,” Biden said.
For his part, moments earlier, former US president and Republican pre-candidate Donald Trump (2017-2021) affirmed that Joe Biden has “totally” lost control of the Israeli situation.
“He has abandoned Israel, he has totally abandoned Israel,” he told the press upon his arrival in Atlanta (Georgia), where he is planning a fundraising act.
Trump considered that Biden “has no idea where he is or who he supports,” he considered that he is a person “with little intellectual capacity” and maintained that “any Jew who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have his head examined.”
This same Wednesday, in the White House, Biden said that he is still negotiating a possible ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas.
The day before, in an interview with Univision, the US president criticized the way of acting of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Gaza in response to the attacks in Hamas on October 7, which has led to the occupation by force of almost the entire enclave, the destruction of homes and the death of more than 33,400 civilians.
“I think what you’re doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his way of doing things,” he told the Latin American media.
Biden said in that intervention that what he requested “simply” is a ceasefire, that the Israelis allow access for the next six or eight weeks of food and medicine.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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