International

Egypt asks Trump for a “positive interaction” with his plan to rebuild Gaza

Egypt asked the US Administration of Donald Trump for a “positive and constructive interaction” with its plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip, which Washington has said does not meet the expectations of the president of the United States.

This occurred during a phone call on Thursday between the head of Egyptian diplomacy, Badr Abdelaty, and the US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry published on Friday.

During the conversation, Abdelaty “reconsidered the Arab plan for the rapid recovery and reconstruction of Gaza,” which contemplates the rehabilitation of the devastated Palestinian enclave in a period of more than five years and at a cost of about 53 billion dollars.

It also conveyed “Egypt’s aspiration to maintain a positive and constructive interaction with President Trump and the US Administration to review the plan and its advantages in a comprehensive way.”

According to the Egyptian statement, Witkoff said he was “familiar with the plan” approved at an extraordinary Arab summit on March 4, while assuring that it “includes attractive elements and reflects good intentions.”

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In this sense, the American asked “to know more details about the plan during the next period,” according to the statement.

The conversation took place after the United States government pointed out on Thursday that the reconstruction plan proposed by Egypt “does not meet Trump’s expectations,” said State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.

“The Arab agreement does not meet the requirements or the nature of what President Trump was asking for,” said Bruce, who said that the main objective of the US Administration is “to achieve peace in the region and that it does not continue to be a constant problem.”

Precisely, the Egyptian proposal was approved in contrast to Trump’s plan to expel the inhabitants of Gaza to Egypt and Jordan to turn the Palestinian enclave into the ‘Middle East River’.

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International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.