International
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN believes that Spain “opened a door that others will follow”
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Ryad Mansour, believes that Spain is in the group of “brave countries that opened a door that others will follow,” in reference to the recognition of the State of Palestine, which materializes on Tuesday.
In an interview with EFE at the UN headquarters, Mansour, 77, emphasizes that Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, has exercised “a sovereign right,” and is therefore a decision that “competes with Spain, its institutions and its people,” so he does not understand “the hysterical reaction of Israel.”
Mansour has been at the head of the Palestinian mission at the UN for 19 years and has become famous in recent months for starring in emotional speeches in the General Assembly or the Security Council in which he has been about to cry in the hardest days of the war.
Since last October 7, when the war began in Gaza with the attack in Hamas, he has deployed tireless activity in the corridors of the UN and has managed, for example, to unite the Arab Group of ambassadors and make them appear together regularly before the media, thus overcoming their differences present in almost all other conflicts.
Mansour believes that Israel has an “elitist and racist” attitude when he arrogates the right to tell countries whether or not they should recognize Palestine, or when he describes that recognition as “hostile”, to which he replies: “Is Spain an enemy of Israel because it believes in peace and invests in it? Please, it’s crazy!” he says, emphasizing that Spain has “a long historical relationship with Israel” (it recognized the Hebrew State in 1986) that no one doubts.
And although Israel has despised that recognition of Palestine as insignificant, Mansour questions it: “Don’t you care? Don’t they care about the bilateral relationship, the military assistance, the economic relationship? The hysteria with which they have accepted the decision (of recognition) is eloquent, otherwise why this fury? Why those measures against Spain, against Palestine?” he says, in relation to Israel’s announcement to prohibit the Spanish Consulate from providing services in the West Bank.
For the ambassador, there is no doubt that the decision of recognition has paved the way for others to do soon – he cites Belgium, Portugal, Luxembourg or Slovenia – and he says that this “door they have opened” works in two ways: it makes the decision of those already favorable easier and hinders resistance between those who oppose.
He has no doubt that it is a decision with echoes beyond Europe, since it can encourage other countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan or Korea. “The brave ones who started by opening that door will help them take the extra step in the right direction,” he says.
Mansour also believes that the admission of Palestine as a full member of the UN – vetoed alone by the United States on April 18 – is a matter of time, and recalls that other countries subject to vetoes, such as Italy itself before 1955, or the two Koreas, ended up accessing the UN through the big door. Palestine is now just an “observer state.”
“Why do we have to be at the mercy of what the occupier (Israel) says?, that violates our right to self-determination,” he explains, alluding to the reasoning that the United States – and others such as the United Kingdom or France – always repeats that a Palestinian State and its entry into the UN is something that must be the result of a negotiated resolution with Israel.
The ambassador is careful to openly criticize the United States for its unwakeable support for Israel, but says that when President Joe Biden talks about the solution of the States, he must specify it: “Are you going to ask for the settlements to stop? Land annexations in East Jerusalem? Are you going to reconsider the transfer of the Embassy? Tell me, what steps are you going to take?”
Regarding whether he prefers a Democratic government or a return of Donald Trump – president who multiplied more of the gestures towards Israel – the ambassador says he does not plan to make comments on national policy, but he recalls one detail: that in the Trump administration, after nine months of relative “honeymoon”, the United States changed its position and “the relationship became very bad.”
International
Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the deaths of five people whose bodies were found inside a rural home, in what police believe may be linked to a territorial dispute between organized criminal groups.
The victims, aged between 21 and 30, were discovered Tuesday in the town of La Troncal, in the Andean province of Cañar. Police reported that two of the bodies were bound with wire, while a burned-out vehicle was found outside the residence.
Investigators said graffiti on the walls of the house included messages such as “Lobos territory” and “Lobos active,” suggesting a possible connection to the criminal organization known as Los Lobos.
Police believe the killings were likely the result of a conflict over territorial control between rival gangs.
The discovery came on the same day authorities arrested a former mayor in the neighboring province of Azuay. Officials identified him as the alleged main financial backer of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations.
Ecuador has experienced an unprecedented surge in violence in recent years, driven by criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to Insight Crime, the country recorded 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025—equivalent to roughly one killing every hour—making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America.
International
Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager who killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the attack.
Colt Gray, now 16, admitted to opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. He was 14 years old at the time of the shooting.
The attack claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, while nine other people were injured. Despite being a minor when the shooting occurred, Gray was prosecuted as an adult.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Nicholas Trimm acknowledged the failures of the teenager’s family but said they did not excuse his actions.
“Your parents failed you. Your family failed you. But that does not absolve you,” the judge said.
Trimm also rejected any suggestion that the shooting was motivated by bullying or personal grievances.
“You were not bullied at Apalachee. This was not driven by hate. You didn’t know anyone at that school. It was simply the desire to commit a notorious act,” he told Gray.
The case also led to the prosecution of the shooter’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The case marked one of the first instances in which a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite being aware that the teenager had previously threatened to carry out a school shooting.
Authorities said the same rifle was used in the attack less than a year later. Months before the shooting, FBI investigators had alerted local law enforcement after receiving reports of online messages linked to the Gray family’s internet address that referenced plans for a school massacre.
The case reflects growing legal scrutiny in the United States over the responsibility of parents whose children commit acts of gun violence.
In a similar case, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four people at his high school in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.
According to U.S. health authorities, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States for several years.
International
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.
Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.
The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.
Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.
Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.
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