International
The US considers the request for an ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu shameful
The United States called it “intolerable” and “shameful” on Monday that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested that an arrest warrant be issued by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, along with the leaders of Hamas for war crimes.
“The ICC prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is scandalous,” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
The president stressed that regardless of what the prosecutor says “there is no possible comparison between Israel and Hamas” and promised that the United States will always support the Jewish State in the face of “threats to its security.”
The ICC Attorney General, Karim Khan, on Monday requested arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and his political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The United States has not ratified the Rome Statute with which the ICC was constituted and has traditionally opposed several investigations by this body.
“We reject the equivalence that the prosecutor makes between Israel and Hamas. It’s embarrassing,” said U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in another statement.
The head of American diplomacy claimed that “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization” that on October 7 “carried out the worst massacre since the Holocaust and that still holds dozens of people hostage.”
Likewise, Blinken opined that the ICC “has no jurisdiction over this matter” and denounced that there are “deeply worrying procedural issues” in the investigation.
According to the Secretary of State, the Israeli Government “was willing to cooperate” despite the fact that Israel is not part of the court and even a visit by the ICC Attorney General to the Jewish State was planned next week.
However, Blinken continued, a team of the prosecutor canceled by surprise a trip to Israel scheduled for Monday to prepare for the prosecutor’s visit at the same time that Khan appeared on television to announce the charges.
“These and other circumstances cast doubt on the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation,” he said.
In addition, for the head of US diplomacy, the decision of the ICC prosecutor “could endanger” the negotiations of an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the kidnapped.
The Israeli authorities, as well as the leaders of the Palestinian Islamist group, were outraged on Monday by Karim Khan’s request.
International
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 4,490 as Rescue Efforts Continue
The death toll from the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 4,490, according to the latest official figures released by the government on social media.
Authorities reported that 16,740 people have been injured, while more than 19,500 residents remain in temporary shelters after the twin earthquakes devastated Caracas and the neighboring state of La Guaira.
Rescue teams from Venezuela and several foreign countries continue searching through collapsed buildings in an effort to recover victims who remain trapped beneath the rubble.
Government officials said the earthquakes damaged more than 850 buildings, with 190 structures completely collapsing.
Thousands of families who lost their homes are currently staying with relatives or friends, while more than 19,500 displaced people are living in overcrowded emergency camps set up in parks, stadiums, and public squares across La Guaira and Caracas.
International
Tensions Escalate in Middle East as U.S. Bombs Iran After Maritime Attacks
The United States launched new strikes against Iran on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump’s warning that Washington would “hit hard” against the Islamic Republic. While Trump ordered the retaliation after attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, he also said he hoped the latest wave of bombings would end soon and left the door open for renewed negotiations.
U.S. forces “have begun carrying out additional strikes against Iran to further reduce its ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the United States Central Command said in a post on X.
Washington blamed Iran for what it described as “recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping.”
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that explosions were heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak, and Chabahar.
“This is in retaliation for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will be much worse,” Trump wrote on social media alongside an image showing what appeared to be a bombing at an Iranian location.
Before ordering the strikes, the U.S. president said that the ceasefire with Iran had ended. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar called for de-escalation, while the United Nations also urged both sides to reduce tensions.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical flashpoint in the Middle East conflict, which began in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran-linked attacks on at least three vessels in recent days triggered a U.S. offensive against Iranian targets on Tuesday. Tehran responded by launching attacks against Gulf countries that are allies of Washington.
International
Deadly Drug Trade Rivalry Suspected After Eight Bodies Discovered in Southern Mexico
Eight bodies were found Wednesday along a highway in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, in an incident authorities believe may be linked to a dispute over local drug sales.
The victims — six men and two women — were found abandoned on a road in a mountainous area of the municipality of El Bosque, according to the state prosecutor’s office in a statement published on Facebook.
Initial investigations indicate that the killings may be connected to “a dispute over retail drug sales between local criminal groups operating in the region,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Local media reports that several criminal incidents have increased in the area since the beginning of the year.
The road where the bodies were discovered is located in a mountainous region largely inhabited by Indigenous communities. Authorities have not released further details about the victims or possible suspects as the investigation continues.
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 4,490 as Rescue Efforts Continue
Panama launches anti-drone measures as prison security crisis deepens
Tensions Escalate in Middle East as U.S. Bombs Iran After Maritime Attacks
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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