International

Netanyahu and the opposition are stry for the war in Gaza

In a heated debate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended before the Kneset (Parliament) his strategy of “pressure, pressure and more pressure” in the Gaza Strip, where more than 38,700 people have died and thousands are missing after nine months of intense bombing.

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas “is under pressure because we are eliminating its commanders, thousands of its terrorists, because we have entered Rafah and the Philadelphia corridor and we have them by the neck,” Netanyahu said during a parliamentary session convened by the opposition.

Netanyahu told his critics to question his strategy in the enclave, and said that pressure on him will not do anything.

He also ventured that, if it depended on the opposition, Israel would have put an end to the war “without eliminating the commanders, without controlling Rafah and the Philadelphia corridor” and with the military leader of Hamas in Gaza, Mohamed Deif, “strolling like a winner.”

Deif was the target of a harsh Israeli attack over the weekend against the humanitarian zone of Mawasi, in the south of the enclave, in which more than 90 people were killed, according to the Gaza authorities. His destiny remains uncertain.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

The leader of the opposition National Unity party, Benny Gantz, responded to Netanyahu on his X account with a threatening message in which he accused him of delaying Israeli operations in Jan Yunis and Rafah (south of Gaza) for his “indecision.”

“Everything will be revealed when the protocols and decisions are evaluated by the state commission of inquiry,” said Gantz, who until recently occupied a position with the right to vote in the already dissolved Cabinet of War of Israel.

The Israeli Government has not yet ordered the creation of a state commission to investigate the security flaws that allowed Hamas to carry out a large-scale attack on Israeli soil that left 1,200 dead and more than 200 kidnapped on October 7, 2023, and which was the trigger of the current war in Gaza, and Netanyahu himself has said that he opposes an investigation until it ends.

Both Gantz and the Israeli Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, have asked for this commission to be formed and have criticized the president for his lack of decisions in the war.

“Benny Gantz spreads fake news again,” Netanyahu replied in a message in X in which he claimed to have taken a screenshot of his tweet to rescue him when the public discovers “who was looking for excuses to ‘stop the fighting for a year or two’ and who pressed to continue the war until victory.”

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Meanwhile, the families of the Israelis kidnapped in Gaza also charged Netanyahu, who allegedly said last night at a government meeting about negotiations with Hamas that “they should not be stressed” since “the hostages are suffering, but not dying,” according to a leak published by the Ynet news portal.

“We demand that the prime minister explain himself immediately,” the Forum of Relatives of Hostages demanded in a statement, before statements that they considered “deeply hurtful,” as well as “dangerously irresponsible.”

The platform, which represents the families of the kidnapped in the enclave, took advantage of the statement to demand that Netanyahu, as he usually does, sign the ceasefire agreement with Hamas to guarantee the safe return of both the living and the deceased hostages.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who has repeatedly offered a “safety net” to Netanyahu in front of his far-right coalition partners to achieve a hostage release agreement, asked him not to travel to Washington to participate in a joint session of the two chambers of Congress if not to announce an agreement.

The Israeli Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to the United States in the coming days to deliver a speech to the country’s legislators, after being invited by the Democratic and Republican leaders of both chambers.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

His journey will take place with the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza on the tightrope, after the attack on Deif in Mawasi that left 90 dead and 300 injured.

International

Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027

Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.

The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Security and border infrastructure

In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.

The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.

The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.

The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.

Migration and development

On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.

The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.

The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.

International

France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.

“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.

The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.

About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.

The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.

Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.

International

Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C

36 deaths reported due to heat wave in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.

The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.

The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.

Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.

The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.

July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.