International
The Islamic State, responsible for at least 15 attacks in Russia since 2015
The attacks on Russian soil by the Islamic State (IS) are not something new. The jihadist group began to claim actions in Russia in 2015, some of them without victims and others with several deaths, such as the one that occurred in the Urals in 2017 when the explosion of a residential building left 39 dead.
According to the figures collected by EFE, both from its own information and from databases such as the United States Department of State, the IS has claimed or been responsible for at least 15 attacks in Russia between 2015 and 2019, the last year in which a Daesh action was registered until this Friday in Moscow.
The one in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall concert hall is the deadliest counted since then, but IS actions in Russia have gone from the murder of police, the killing of faithful in a church, an explosion in a supermarket, shootings or a lone wolf stabbing pedestrians.
2015
December 19. In the first attack claimed by IS on Russian soil, a man shot 11 tourists and killed one of them while visiting the city of Naryn-Kala de Derbent, in the Republic of Dagestan.
2016
-August -17. Two men attacked a policeman with weapons and axes at a traffic control post in the Moscow suburb of Balashija, and were killed by the agents. A policeman was seriously injured. The attack was claimed by the IS.
-October 23rd. Two men shoot a policeman who was inspecting his car in Nizhny Novgorod, who returned the fire and killed the two attackers. The IS claimed the attack stating that they were two “soldiers of the Islamic State.”
December -17th. Two alleged IS militants stabbed a policeman in Grozni, Chechnya, and used his weapon and a stolen car to kill three police officers. Although the IS did not claim the action, the U.S. State Department claims that they were recruited by a Daesh commander in Syria and videos were published in which they swore allegiance to the group.
2017
-March 24th. A group of alleged IS affiliates attacked a Russian National Guard post in Grozny, which resulted in the death of six soldiers and six attackers. He didn’t claim it, but the US attributed the attack to him.
-April 4th. Two Russian policemen die in a shooting in the southern city of Astrajan, in an action later claimed by IS.
– August 19. A 19-year-old from the Siberian city of Surgut wanders the streets with a knife and injures seven people, before being killed by the police. The attack, claimed by ISIS, occurred the day after similar ones that occurred in Finland and Germany, where several people were stanched.
-December 27. Explosion occurred in a supermarket of the Perekriostok chain in St. Petersburg, with about twenty injured. The pump, which had a power equivalent to 200 grams of trilite, did not cause serious damage to the building. EI became responsible for the attack.
2018
-February 8. An armed man shoots indiscriminately outside a church in the town of Kizliar against a crowd of people who were celebrating the Russian festival of the Másletnisa, similar to Carnival. Five people die and five others are injured. Claimed the same day by the IS.
-May. ISIS claims three attacks, one in Neftekamsk, another in Nizhny Novgorod and a third in Dagestan. They claim that they attacked police and a Sufi sanctuary, with no reported deaths.
December 31st. An explosion in a residential building in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk, in the Urals, causes 39 deaths. At the time of the tragedy it was believed that the building collapsed due to a gas explosion, but days later the IS claimed its authorship stating that it had killed 39 Russian “crusaders”.
2019
April 8th. There is an explosion in Kolomna, near Moscow, which was later claimed by IS. Supposedly there were no victims.
– July 1. A man kills a policeman with a knife at a checkpoint in the Chechen district of Achkhoy-Martonovsky. The policeman killed the attacker. The IS is attributed to the attack.
Central America
U.S. and Regional Allies Back Panama Amid Dispute With China
The United States, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago issued a joint statement in support of Panama’s sovereignty, arguing that China’s recent actions represent an attempt to politicize maritime trade and undermine the sovereignty of nations in the hemisphere.
“We are closely monitoring China’s selective economic pressure and recent actions affecting vessels flying the Panamanian flag,” the statement released Tuesday said. “Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system and, as such, must remain free from undue external pressure.”
The statement comes amid growing tensions surrounding the Panama Canal and the operation of key ports linked to global trade.
At the end of January, Panama’s Supreme Court invalidated the legal framework supporting the 1997 concession that granted Panama Ports Company, a subsidiary of CK Hutchison, the right to operate the Balboa and Cristóbal terminals located on the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the Panama Canal.
The ruling followed mounting pressure from the United States to curb Chinese influence around the strategic waterway, through which roughly 5% of global maritime trade passes.
CK Hutchison, which managed the ports for nearly three decades, rejected the court’s decision and accused Panamanian authorities of illegally confiscating its assets. The company has launched international arbitration proceedings against Panama, seeking more than $2 billion in damages.
Following the court ruling, reports emerged of increased detentions and inspections of Panamanian-flagged vessels in China, actions widely viewed as retaliatory measures.
On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the joint statement as “completely unfounded and misleading,” accusing the United States of politicizing port operations and warning that Beijing would take steps to protect its interests in Panama.
International
King Charles III Says U.S.-UK Alliance Is “Irreplaceable and Unbreakable”
King Charles III of the United Kingdom reaffirmed the strength of the British-American relationship on Tuesday during a speech before the United States Congress, describing the alliance between the two nations as “irreplaceable and unbreakable.”
The address, delivered at the Capitol, marked the first speech by a British monarch before Congress since Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 and comes at a time of political tensions between Donald Trump’s administration and the Labour government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“As President Trump himself observed during his state visit to Britain last autumn, the bond of kinship and identity between the United States and the United Kingdom is invaluable and eternal. It is irreplaceable and unbreakable,” the king said.
While reflecting on the upcoming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, which will be commemorated this year, Charles III stated that the partnership between the two countries “was born out of disagreement, but is no less strong because of it.”
The monarch emphasized the democratic values shared by both nations and noted that major global changes have occurred whenever the two allies found common ground.
“When we have found that way to agree, great changes have taken place not only for the benefit of our peoples, but for all peoples,” he said.
King Charles also quoted British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who recently described the relationship as “an indispensable alliance.”
Concluding his speech, the monarch described the shared history of the United States and the United Kingdom as “a story of reconciliation, renewal, and an extraordinary partnership.”
He added that Washington and London have forged “one of the most consequential alliances in human history.”
“I pray with all my heart that our alliance continues to defend our shared values, together with our partners in Europe, the Commonwealth, and around the world, and that we ignore calls urging us to become increasingly isolationist,” Charles III stated.
The king ended by urging both nations to “recommit to one another in selfless service to our peoples and to all peoples of the world.”
International
Trump Administration Considers Denying Green Cards Over Political Views
The administration of President Donald Trump is evaluating new immigration guidelines that could deny permanent residency to immigrants based on their political views, according to a report published by The New York Times.
The proposed measures, outlined in internal Department of Homeland Security documents, would instruct immigration officials to take applicants’ public expressions and ideological positions into account when reviewing green card applications.
According to the report, cases involving “possible anti-American and/or antisemitic conduct or ideologies” would need to be referred to higher authorities for additional review.
Even if applicants have not violated any laws, authorities could still reject residency requests if they determine that individuals have “endorsed, promoted, or supported anti-American views.”
Among the factors listed in the guidelines are participation in pro-Palestinian activities, actions considered antisemitic, and the burning of the U.S. flag.
The documents reportedly describe such actions as “heavily negative” factors in immigration evaluations, potentially blocking applicants from obtaining permanent residency and, eventually, U.S. citizenship.
The directives also place particular attention on demonstrations held on university campuses following the 2023 Hamas attacks against Israel.
However, flag burning has previously been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court as a form of protected free speech under the Constitution.
The proposal has sparked criticism from immigrant advocacy organizations, including the New York Immigration Coalition.
Its president, Murad Awawdeh, warned that the policies could pose a threat to fundamental rights and freedoms.
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