International
Trump’s proposal for Gaza is “steroid imperialism,” according to UN rapporteur
The UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned on Wednesday as “steroid imperialism” President Donald Trump’s proposal to expel the Palestinians from Gaza and called it “illegal and immoral madness” that will make the situation “even more draconian” and “coverturn” the system of international law.
In a meeting with a group of journalists in the Dutch city of The Hague, including EFE, Albanese warned that Trump’s proposal is “grotesque and insulting.”
And he does, he added, that “suddenly, something that the Palestinians have experienced for decades, is no longer just an Israeli policy that has led to catastrophic results and international crimes.”
Trump proposes that the US take and rebuild Gaza as a real estate project under the name of the “Middle East River”, expelling Gazans to neighboring states such as Jordan and Egypt.
“What authority does the United States have for this? Let’s go back to what’s really happening: this is steroid imperialism (…) It’s not new, but it’s now completely exposed. It’s crazy, but it’s also illegal, it’s immoral. And it arrives in the middle of genocide. It is irresponsible, and will not bring stability to the region,” he warned.
The Italian lawyer said she was “very concerned about the legal implications of what Trump is saying” because “what he has said includes deportation, forced displacement, aggression” which, according to her, “will become the foreign policy of the United States from now on.”
Trump announced his plan for Gaza, Albanese said, while he was with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is “seeked and arrested by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity” for the war in Gaza.
“When the president of the United States, instead of condemning him, moving away, embraces him… So, what do we have left? The implications in Gaza for the Palestinians will continue to be tragic,” he lamented.
Gaza is “part of the territory occupied” by Israel and is “part of the territorial unity of the State where there is international consensus that the Palestinians have an exclusive right over their land,” he said.
In this sense, he assured that the two-state solution for Palestine and Israel has been an “opportunity” for the latter to “distract attention from the continuous annexation of Palestinian lands (…) by taking land, displacing people to its extreme consequences.”
“What is happening to the Palestinians is not only an announced tragedy, but it is the result of impunity. And it will continue to be. The system is collapsing in our hands, and living in a world without laws, where force makes law, is not going to protect any of us,” he warned.
Albanese is visiting the Netherlands this week, where he is giving speeches and participating in round tables. However, both the government and the country’s parliament rejected a formal meeting with her because of their criticisms of Israel, but several deputies will receive it informally.
In this sense, he regretted that representatives of the Netherlands “do not want to listen to a lawyer, an expert in international law, who has been appointed by the UN, while listening to pro-Israeli organizations that are financed by who knows who.”
Albanese explained that “there are a small number of States that have broken the chains of control,” while other countries are “waiting to see where the wind blows” and others “are becoming even more accomplices of this lack of legality.”
“I think that, ultimately, this is also an opportunity for us in the West to do better. To take the opportunity to demonstrate that we can be fairer without giving lessons to others about human rights,” he said.
And he concluded: “The genocide is not only the concentration camps: it is the lack of food and medical care, health conditions, induced famine.”
International
Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
Dick Cheney, former U.S. vice president under George W. Bush and a chief architect of the 2000s “war on terror,” died Monday night at age 84.
According to a family statement, Cheney passed away due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease.
Cheney, who rose to political prominence as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford in the 1970s, went on to become one of the most influential vice presidents in U.S. history during the Bush administration (2001–2009). He was widely known as one of the strongest advocates for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In his later years, however, Cheney emerged as a vocal critic of the Republican Party under Donald Trump’s leadership.
“Dick Cheney was a great man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country and to live with courage, honor, love, kindness, and a passion for fishing,” his family said in a statement.
International
Sheinbaum maintains 70% approval despite growing discontent in Mexico
Seven out of ten Mexicans — 70% — approve of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s performance a little over a year into her term, even as disapproval reached its highest level in October at 30%, according to a monthly survey published by the newspaper El Financiero.
The approval rating marks a slight decline compared to September (73%), August (74%), and especially February, when Sheinbaum peaked at 85%. Meanwhile, disapproval rose to 30%, three points higher than in August and double the levels recorded between January and March, when just 15% of respondents disapproved of her leadership.
Of the 1,000 Mexicans surveyed, 59% rated the government’s response to last month’s deadly storms — which left 83 people dead and 16 missing — as good or very good. Additionally, 56% gave positive marks to cleanup and recovery efforts, while 40% viewed them negatively.
Support programs for affected families received 53% positive and 42% negative evaluations. Sheinbaum’s visits to impacted areas generated a narrower split: 50% approval versus 45% disapproval.
The president’s empathy stood out as her most valued attribute, earning 63% favorable ratings, followed by honesty (59%), leadership (59%), and ability to deliver results (47%).
International
Shootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
A confrontation between Mexican security forces and an armed group in the troubled state of Sinaloa left 13 gunmen dead and four others arrested, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported on Monday.
Sinaloa, located on the Pacific coast, has been shaken for more than a year by a violent power struggle between factions of a powerful local cartel — a conflict that has resulted in at least 1,700 homicides, including 57 minors, and nearly 2,000 disappearances.
The shootout occurred around 12:45 p.m. local time (18:45 GMT) in the municipality of Guasave, where authorities were able to rescue nine kidnapped individuals following the clash. Officers also seized seven vehicles, long weapons, and tactical equipment, according to the minister’s post on X.
García Harfuch explained that security forces “were attacked by an armed group hiding under a bridge” while patrolling the La Brecha community of Guasave, prompting an “immediate response” from authorities.
The detainees and seized items have been turned over to Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office, he added.
The internal war within the Sinaloa Cartel erupted after the capture of longtime leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who was betrayed and extradited to the United States in July 2024 by the son of his former partner Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Guzmán has been serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison since 2019.
Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
Sheinbaum maintains 70% approval despite growing discontent in Mexico
Shootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoFloods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
-
International4 days agoHurricane Melissa kills over 30, leaves thousands displaced in the Caribbean
-
International4 days agoU.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
-
International2 days agoAt least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
-
International4 days agoTrump sets historic low refugee cap at 7,500, prioritizes white South Africans
-
International4 days agoUNICEF: Over 700,000 children affected by Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean
-
International3 days agoFBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
-
International20 hours agoU.S. uses $4.65 billion in emergency funds to sustain SNAP benefits amid shutdown
-
International4 days agoPope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
-
International4 days agoU.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
-
International2 days agoU.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
-
International20 hours agoFour suspected PCC members killed in Police shootout in Florianópolis
-
International3 hours agoShootout in Sinaloa leaves 13 gunmen dead as authorities rescue kidnapping victims
-
International3 hours agoTrump alleges “massive fraud” in California redistricting vote without evidence
-
International3 hours agoSheinbaum maintains 70% approval despite growing discontent in Mexico
-
International3 hours agoFormer U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84