International
Police kill an armed man who wanted to burn a synagogue in the north of France
The French police have killed an armed man who wanted to set fire to the synagogue in the city of Ruán, in the north of France.
This was announced this Friday by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who has so far ruled out the terrorist trail.
“I congratulate the reactivity and courage of the agents,” Darmanin said on Twitter.
For its part, the Prosecutor’s Office has announced the opening of two investigations, one regarding a voluntary fire in a place of worship and another about the circumstances of the man’s death, killed by one of the agents with his regulatory weapon.
The Ruán Prosecutor’s Office is in the process of verifying the identity of the deceased.
“The individual was carrying only a transport card from Ruan. We are in the process of verifying his identity,” the prosecutor, Frédéric Teillet, told the press.
However, French media assure that this man, whose nationality and age are unknown, was under an expulsion order issued more than a year ago for an irregular stay in French territory, a directive that was not executed due to the legal remedies presented.
Teillet explained that he informed the anti-terrorist Prosecutor’s Office about this incident, but clarified that, for the time being, the Ruán Prosecutor’s Office is in charge of coordinating the investigations, which means that the authorities still do not see enough clues to treat that attack as a terrorist.
As for the agent who shot him, he has been placed in police custody while the images of the events are being investigated and interrogated.
However, Teillet has anticipated that, after seeing the available images of the intervention, the policeman fired his weapon within the regulations.
According to the French press, the Police arrived at the synagogue of Ruan at 6:45 local time, alerted by the smoke coming out of it.
There they saw a man stationed on the roof of the building. Armed with an iron bar and a knife, he would have jumped on one of his agents, who responded with a shot.
The mayor of Ruán, the socialist Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, has assured on social networks that there have been no other victim of this incident and that the fire is being controlled by firefighters.
“I fully support the Israeli community of Ruhan,” said Mayer-Rossignol.
France has the most numerous Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. Since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic acts have multiplied in the country.
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.
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