International
Netanyahu tells Blinken that he remains “firm” in his demands on Hamas for a truce
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Monday to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that he will remain “firm” in the negotiations of a ceasefire with the Islamist group Hamas so as not to give in to the “security needs of Israel.”
Netanyahu spoke for about three hours with Blinken in Jerusalem, in a meeting that “was positive and conducted in a good spirit,” according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The Israeli president “reiterated Israel’s commitment to the latest US proposal (ceasefire agreement) on the release of the kidnapped, which takes into account Israel’s security needs, in which he stands firm,” the statement added without giving further details.
Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday for a ninth visit since the outbreak of the war on October 7, with the aim of promoting a ceasefire agreement that includes the release of the 111 Israeli hostages that Hamas keeps kidnapped in Gaza (of which at least 39 have died), as well as the massive entry of humanitarian aid into the devastated Strip.
Netanyahu – whom many in his own country accuse of torpedoing the negotiations with new demands and putting his political interests first – made it clear on Sunday that Israel is “negotiating, not giving in” to Hamas.
The Israeli leader urged the mediating countries – the United States, Qatar and Egypt – to put pressure on Hamas and not Israel, and reiterated his firmness on two central points: not to cease the military offensive until the Islamist group is dismantled and not to withdraw its troops from the strategic Philadelphia Corridor, which covers the entire border line between Gaza and Egypt.
Israel’s negotiating team met over the weekend with the mediators in Doha, an appointment that Hamas did not attend, demanding that, instead of new negotiations, what had already been agreed in previous months be applied based on a proposal by US President Joe Biden.
“The new proposal” that emerged after the meeting in Doha “responds to the conditions imposed by Netanyahu and is consistent with them,” Hamas lamented on Sunday, rejecting what was agreed in Qatar.
The Islamist group criticizes that the new proposal does not include a definitive ceasefire or the integral withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, and that it agrees to Netanyahu’s “insistence” that the Israeli Army continue to control the Netzarim crossing (which connects the north with the south of the Strip), the border crossing of the Gaza city of Rafah (with Egypt) and the Philadelphia Corridor.
Hamas claims to have accepted on July 2 what President Biden proposed, while Israel claims to have done the same without adding new demands, but “clarifications.”
While Washington estimates that the agreement could be reached as soon as next week, Netanyahu would have told his ministers that “the chances are not high,” according to public radio Kan.
The war broke out on October 7 of last year with a Hamas attack on Israel that left about 1,200 dead and 251 kidnapped.
Blinken, for his part, said that the latest proposed agreement for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas may be “the last chance” to rescue the hundred Israeli hostages who still remain in the Gaza Strip.
“It is a decisive moment, probably the best and perhaps the last opportunity to return the kidnapped home, to achieve a ceasefire,” the American said at the beginning of a meeting in Tel Aviv with the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog.
The head of US diplomacy made it clear that his country wants a pact as soon as possible, and highlighted the deployment of US forces in the region to try to dissuade Iran and the Lebanese group Hizbulah from attacking Israel, which could put the negotiations at risk.
The Israeli president, for his part, thanked the United States for their support and the other mediating countries, Egypt and Qatar, for their efforts to achieve a ceasefire agreement that will allow the hostages to be released.
“There is no greater humanitarian objective, nor greater humanitarian cause than bringing back the hostages,” Herzog said.
Iran assured that it supports the negotiations between Israel and its ally Hamas to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza, despite its differences with the United States and considers that Tel Aviv does not want a truce.
Despite the negotiating momentum, the Israeli offensive in Gaza continues, and this Sunday the troops extended their operations to parts of Jan Yunis (south) and, for the first time, the town of Deir al Balah (center), where thousands of Gazans have taken refuge since the offensive against Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza, began.
The Israeli Army continued to attack a devastated Gaza Strip in the last 24 hours, where after ten months of offensive 40,139 people have already died, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health of the enclave, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas.
Meanwhile, at least two people were killed on Monday by the bombing of an Israeli drone against the Houla area, in southern Lebanon, amid an increase in selective attacks by the Jewish State and renewed fears of an open war in Lebanese territory.
A 45-year-old Israeli soldier, identified by military sources as Mahmud Amaria, died on Monday morning in a drone attack in the region of western Galilee, northern Israel, perpetrated by the Lebanese Shiite militia Hizbulah.
In addition, the Israeli authorities confirmed that an explosion recorded last night in Tel Aviv, which claimed the life of the suspect who was carrying the device and injured another person, was part of a failed attempt at a terrorist attack.
The armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas claimed the act, according to a message on Telegram, which it said it had perpetrated in collaboration with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Central America
Panama mine workers demand reopening amid economic slump and mining ban
Former workers of Central America’s largest open-pit copper mine, shut down in 2023 by Panama’s Supreme Court, called on Wednesday for the reactivation of operations, even though the country is under a mining moratorium.
The mine, operated by Canadian firm First Quantum Minerals, ceased production after Panama’s highest court declared the concession contract “unconstitutional,” following mass anti-mining protests that nearly brought the country to a standstill.
“There’s an unemployment crisis affecting the nation, and reopening the mine could bring back thousands of jobs, restoring the hope and dreams lost since the shutdown,” said Ilka Camargo, a former mine employee, to AFP.
Located on Panama’s Caribbean coast, the mine produced around 300,000 tons of copper concentrate annually, accounting for 75% of the country’s exports and 5% of its GDP. It directly and indirectly employed approximately 37,000 people.
Several unions backed the call for reopening on Wednesday, arguing that it would generate employment and boost economic growth amid growing dissatisfaction with conservative President José Raúl Mulino.
“If reopening the mine helps generate new jobs, the government should make the decision to do it,” said Aniano Pinzón, Secretary-General of Panama’s General Workers’ Union.
“We have the right to work, and we believe in responsible mining that serves the Panamanian people and respects the environment,” stated Michael Camacho, leader of the former workers’ union.
Panama’s economy grew by just 2.9% in 2024, a sharp decline from 7.4% the previous year, when the mine was still operational. Meanwhile, unemployment stands at 9.5% and may rise further following the dismissal of 6,500 workers from U.S. banana company Chiquita Brands, which shut down operations amid protests in Bocas del Toro province.
International
Mexico discovers drug smuggling tunnel connecting Tijuana to San Diego
Mexican security forces discovered a clandestine tunnel on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in the border city of Tijuana (northwest), which connects to San Diego, California, authorities reported.
Such underground passages are commonly used by criminal groups for smuggling people and drugs across the roughly 3,100-kilometer border between Mexico and the United States.
The tunnel, measuring approximately 350 meters (1,150 feet) in length, was found by soldiers and police inside a residential home, where “various doses of methamphetamine” were also seized, according to a statement from Mexico’s federal Security Ministry.
The operation was conducted “in coordination” with U.S. authorities, said Laureano Carrillo, Secretary of Public Security for the state of Baja California.
Earlier this year, in January, security forces from both countries uncovered another tunnel linking Ciudad Juárez (northern Mexico) to El Paso, Texas.
The Mexican government has stepped up arrests and drug seizures following pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico, accusing it of allowing the flow of drugs and undocumented migrants into the United States.
International
Hurricane Erick rapidly strengthens to category 3 near Southern Mexico
Erick has rapidly intensified into a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 195 km/h (120 mph). It is currently located about 90 km (56 miles) south-southwest of Puerto Ángel, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.
The hurricane is expected to continue strengthening overnight as it moves closer to Mexico’s southern coastline. Erick is forecast to make landfall Thursday morning, just east of Acapulco, as a major hurricane. If it does so as a Category 3 or stronger, it would be the most powerful hurricane on record to strike Mexico in the month of June.
The storm underwent rapid intensification on Wednesday morning, fueled by extremely favorable atmospheric and oceanic conditions, including very warm sea surface temperatures. A tropical system is considered to be rapidly intensifying when its maximum sustained winds increase by at least 55 km/h (35 mph) within 24 hours.
Hurricane-force winds are expected to affect coastal areas Wednesday night. Regions near and east of the storm’s landfall point are likely to experience dangerous storm surge, coastal flooding, and heavy rainfall, with totals up to 400 mm (15.7 inches). These conditions pose a high risk of flash flooding and landslides, particularly in mountainous terrain. Because Erick’s approach is nearly parallel to the coastline, even minor shifts in its track could significantly alter the timing and location of landfall impacts.
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