International
The US has a “clear interest” in preventing the fragmentation of Syria and stopping the Islamic State
The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, said on Monday that his country has a “clear interest” in preventing the “fragmentation” of Syria and stopping a resurgence of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).
“This moment presents a historic opportunity, but it also carries considerable risks,” the head of US diplomacy said about Syria during an event at the State Department.
Blinken, who described the fall of President Bashar al-Asad as a “defeat” of his allies in Iran, Hezbula and Russia, stressed that “the Syrian people have to be the one who chooses their path and their future.”
He also announced that senior State Department officials have been deployed in the region to analyze the situation with key actors and allies.
“We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, massive migrations from Syria and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism from the region to the world,” he stressed.
Blinken also said that the United States has a “strong interest” in preventing a resurgence of IS “given the death and destruction it has caused for so long,” as well as “ensuring that any weapons of mass destruction that remain in Syria do not fall into the wrong hands.”
The head of US diplomacy said that it is “imperative” that human rights in Syria are respected, especially of vulnerable minorities, and that state institutions be preserved.
In that sense, he said that the latest statements of the rebel leaders are “welcome,” but stressed that actions are more important than words.
The Pentagon watches that IS does not take advantage of the collapse
For his part, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, warned on Monday that IS could take advantage of the collapse of the Al Asad government in Syria to reorganize.
“As this develops, there is the potential that elements in the area, such as the Islamic State, will try to take advantage of this opportunity and regain capacity,” Austin said in statements from Japan aboard the ship USS George Washington.
Austin was also “surprised” that “the opposition forces advanced as fast as they did.”
“I think everyone expected to see a much firmer resistance from Al Assad’s forces,” he said.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said last weekend that Washington’s immediate priority is to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State, which in 2014 came to control vast areas of Syria and Iraq, in which it proclaimed a “caliphate.”
With this objective, US forces carried out a dozen airstrikes in central Syria on Sunday, reaching 75 targets linked to the terrorist group, according to the Pentagon.
The United States has 900 soldiers deployed in Syria, who will remain in the region as part of the international coalition against IS in order to prevent the jihadist group from taking advantage of the situation to reorganize.
Biden’s advisor travels to Israel with a focus on Gaza and Syria
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel this week to hold talks with senior Israeli officials focused on negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the situation in Syria after the fall of the Al-Assad government.
According to a White House spokesman to EFE, Sullivan will address with senior Israeli officials “a variety of important issues, including efforts to achieve the release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the latest events in Syria, as well as tensions around Lebanon and Iran.”
Biden announced this weekend that he will send several officials to the region to evaluate the next steps in Syria and that he himself will hold telephone conversations with the leaders of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel, neighboring countries of Syria.
Sullivan’s trip will be the first official visit of a high-ranking US official publicly announced since the insurgent coalition led by the Levant Liberation Organization (HTS) took control of Damascus.
HTS, which split in 2016 from the Al-Qaeda subsidiary of the Nusra Front, is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization.
International
Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
A torrential monsoon season, compounded by two unusual tropical cyclones, has triggered intense rainfall in several regions since last week, including southern Thailand, northern Malaysia, and large parts of Indonesia.
Climate change has recently intensified rainfall patterns, as a warmer atmosphere is able to hold more moisture. In Indonesia, desperation is growing among those affected by the disaster due to the slow pace of rescue operations and the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Relief agencies warned that the scale of the emergency is nearly unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to frequent natural disasters.
Across the island of Sumatra, the death toll was revised downward to 770 fatalities and at least 463 people still missing as of Wednesday night. Earlier, the national disaster management agency had reported 804 deaths.
Gathering accurate information on the ground remains difficult, as many regions are still cut off due to flood damage, widespread power outages, communication failures, or a combination of all three.
International
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
Russia has blocked access to the U.S.-owned game creation platform Roblox, accusing it of distributing extremist materials and what authorities described as “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported on Wednesday.
The country has repeatedly threatened to ban certain foreign digital platforms, a move that human rights organizations view as part of broader efforts by authorities to tighten control over internet use.
In a statement released through Russian news agencies, the federal communications watchdog Roskomnadzor accused Roblox of hosting “inappropriate content that can negatively affect the spiritual and moral development of children.”
“The game exposes minors to sexual harassment, tricks them into sharing intimate photos, and encourages them to commit acts of depravity and violence,” the regulator claimed.
Last week, the same agency also threatened to ban WhatsApp, the country’s second most widely used messaging app, accusing it of failing to prevent criminal activity.
Roblox, which is owned by the U.S.-based Roblox Corporation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to company data for 2024, the platform has around 100 million daily users worldwide, nearly 40% of whom are under the age of 13.
Other countries, including Qatar, Iraq and Turkey, have also restricted or banned Roblox, mainly over concerns about the safety of underage users. In the United States, the states of Texas and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against the platform on similar grounds.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
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Climate-driven rains trigger one of Indonesia’s deadliest flood emergencies in years
Russian authorities ban Roblox citing child safety and moral concerns
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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