International
The FBI director announces that he will resign before Trump takes power
FBI director Christopher Wray announced that he will leave office before the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, takes power on January 20, 2025.
Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017 during his first term and has only seven years of a ten-year term.
However, the president-elect, who has been very critical of the FBI, has already announced that he will appoint Kash Patel as the new director of the organization, so Wray was going to be fired.
Trump, upset with the FBI
Trump is upset, for example, by the FBI’s raid on Mar-a-Lago, his Florida mansion, in search of the classified documents he took from the White House after his first term.
Difficult decision
Wray made the announcement during an event with FBI agents.
“It should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: this is not easy for me,” Wray said, referring to his decision to resign.
“In my opinion, this is the best way to prevent the FBI from being dragged further into this dispute,” he added.
“I love this place, I love our mission and I love our people, but my focus is, and has always been, on us and on doing the right thing for the FBI,” Wray said.
Trump celebrates the resignation of the FBI director as “a great day” for the United States.
For his part, Trump celebrated the announcement of Wray’s resignation as “a great day” for the country and urged the Senate to ratify the substitute he has proposed for the position, Kash Patel.
Wray, who was appointed by Trump in 2017 during his first term, confirmed that he will not complete his ten-year term and leave the direction of the FBI before the Republican returns to power on January 20.
“Christopher Wray’s resignation is a great day for the United States,” said Trump, who has been very critical of the FBI since the police force raided his mansion in Mar-a-Lago (Florida) in 2022 in search of the classified documents that the Republican took from the White House.
Trump promised to “restore the rule of law” and said he did not understand “what happened” to Wray, whom he accused of having “illegally” raided his house and of “instrumentalizing” justice against him.
The next president took advantage of his message on the Truth Social network to urge the Senate to ratify the appointment as new director of Kash Patel, a fervent Trumpist very critical of the FBI.
“Kash Patel is the most qualified candidate to lead the FBI in the history of the agency and is committed to helping ensure that law, order and justice return to our country again, and soon,” Trump said.
International
Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
A torrential monsoon season, compounded by two unusual tropical cyclones, has triggered intense rainfall in several regions since last week, including southern Thailand, northern Malaysia, and large parts of Indonesia.
Climate change has recently intensified rainfall patterns, as a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture. In Indonesia, desperation is growing among those affected by the disaster due to the slow pace of rescue operations and the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Relief agencies warned that the scale of the emergency is nearly unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to frequent natural disasters.
Across the island of Sumatra, the death toll was revised downward to 770 fatalities and at least 463 people still missing as of Wednesday night. Earlier, the national disaster management agency had reported 804 deaths.
Gathering accurate information on the ground remains difficult, as many regions are still cut off due to flood damage, widespread power outages, communication failures, or a combination of all three.
International
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
Russia has blocked access to the U.S.-owned game creation platform Roblox, accusing it of distributing extremist materials and what authorities described as “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported on Wednesday.
The country has repeatedly threatened to ban certain foreign digital platforms, a move that human rights organizations view as part of broader efforts by authorities to tighten control over internet use.
In a statement released through Russian news agencies, the federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor accused Roblox of hosting “inappropriate content that can negatively affect the spiritual and moral development of children.”
“The game exposes minors to sexual harassment, tricks them into sharing intimate photos, and encourages them to commit acts of depravity and violence,” the regulator claimed.
Last week, the same agency also threatened to ban WhatsApp, the country’s second most widely used messaging app, accusing it of failing to prevent criminal activity.
Roblox, which is owned by the U.S.-based Roblox Corporation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to company data for 2024, the platform has around 100 million daily users worldwide, nearly 40% of whom are under the age of 13.
Other countries, including Qatar, Iraq and Turkey, have also restricted or banned Roblox, mainly over concerns about the safety of underage users. In the United States, the states of Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against the platform on similar grounds.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Juan Orlando Hernández’s family takes time to decide next steps after surprise U.S. release
Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
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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