International

The president of Egypt pledges to allow the passage of aid to Gaza by Kerem Shalom

The president of Egypt, Abdelfatah al Sisi, promised this Friday to the US president, Joe Biden, that he will allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza through the passage of Kerem Shalom (Israel), the White House said on Friday.

The US Presidency pointed out in a statement that Biden welcomed that commitment to allow the flow of aid from Egypt through the Israeli crossing of Kerem Shalom, border with Egypt and Gaza, “provisionally.”

The president, in turn, pointed out in that phone call that he will support efforts to reopen the Rafah crossing in a way that is acceptable to both Egypt and Israel, and agreed to send a delegation to Cairo next week to advance the discussions.

The telephone exchange served for Biden to thank Al Sisi again for his work since the beginning of the war in October to “ensure a continuous flow of assistance from Egypt to Gaza.”

The entry of aid through Rafah has been paralyzed by the Israeli offensive in that area, which, according to the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shukri, said this week, has become a “battlefield” that puts the lives of humanitarian workers at risk.

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On Tuesday, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced the suspension of that aid because attacks and the presence of Israeli tanks prevent access to the UNRWA distribution center and the World Food Program warehouse.

Biden and Al Sisi, according to the White House, also addressed “new initiatives to ensure the release of hostages along with an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza,” and stressed their commitment to establishing the conditions for a lasting peace in the Middle East.

This same Friday, Egypt had stressed that Israel has full legal responsibility “for the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip as an occupying power,” and asked it to put an end to “its systematic policies against the Palestinian people of attacks, hunger and siege, in violation of all the provisions of international law.”

International

Football Fan Killed in Clashes After Colombian League Match

Fans of Cúcuta Deportivo and their traditional rivals Atlético Bucaramanga clashed outside the stadium following their local league match on Tuesday, leaving one supporter dead and several others injured.

The deceased fan was stabbed, according to a senior police official in Cúcuta who confirmed the cause of death in a video statement. Local media reported that the victim was a supporter of the visiting team, Atlético Bucaramanga.

The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Authorities had banned the entry of Atlético Bucaramanga’s organized supporters into the stadium in an effort to prevent disturbances.

Despite the restrictions, violence broke out in the surrounding areas after the game. Among the injured were three police officers, an institutional source told AFP.

The incident adds to a series of recent violent episodes linked to Colombian football. The most recent occurred in December, when supporters of Atlético Nacional and Independiente Medellín clashed in the stands and on the pitch, leaving 59 people injured.

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International

Missing Spanish Sailor Rescued After 11 Days Adrift in Mediterranean

The man had departed from the port of Gandía, on Spain’s eastern coast, with the intention of reaching the southern Spanish town of Guardamar del Segura, a journey of about 150 kilometers, a spokesperson for Spain’s maritime rescue service told AFP.

Search boats and aircraft were deployed on January 17, but the operation was called off on January 22 after efforts proved unsuccessful. Alerts were then issued to vessels navigating the area in case they spotted any signs of the missing sailor.

As hopes were fading, a surveillance aircraft from the European Union’s border agency Frontex spotted the sailboat on Tuesday, along with a person signaling for help, approximately 53 nautical miles northeast of Bejaia, Algeria.

A nearby vessel, the Singapore-flagged bulk carrier Thor Confidence, carried out the rescue and is expected to bring the man to an end to his ordeal when it arrives on Thursday in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras.

Maritime rescue services shared images on social media showing a small white sailboat drifting at sea and secured alongside the much larger ship.

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It remains unclear how the sailboat ended up hundreds of kilometers off its intended route or how the man managed to survive for so long alone in open waters.

International

Rubio Says U.S. Could Participate in Follow-Up Russia-Ukraine Talks

The United States could join a new round of talks this week aimed at ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday.

Teams from Kyiv and Moscow met last Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi in their first publicly acknowledged direct negotiations to discuss the peace initiative promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“They are going to hold follow-up talks again this week,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “There could be U.S. participation.”

However, Rubio suggested that Washington’s role may be more limited than during last week’s discussions, which included Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

The secretary of state indicated that progress may have already been made on security guarantees for Ukraine, one of Kyiv’s key demands in any agreement with Moscow after nearly four years of Russian invasion.

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“There is one remaining issue that everyone is familiar with, and that is the territorial claim over Donetsk,” Rubio said, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region that Russia wants Ukraine to cede.

“I know that active efforts are underway to see whether the positions of both sides on this issue can be reconciled. It remains a bridge we have not yet crossed,” he added during the hearing.

Rubio acknowledged that the territorial question would be particularly difficult for Ukraine to resolve.