The British oil company BP has decided to suspend transit through all routes that cross the Red Sea due to the deterioration of the security situation in the area. “BP has decided to temporarily suspend all transits through the Red Sea,” the oil company confirmed in a statement.

“We will keep this preventive pause under continuous review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region,” the multinational stated.

In this way, the oil company supports the measures announced in previous days by large maritime transport operators such as the Danish Maersk or the German Hapag-Lloyd, which paralyzed the traffic of their container ships through the Red Sea.

Likewise, the maritime transport giant MSC also announced its decision to divert its ship traffic from the Suez Canal in an east and west direction until passage through the Red Sea is safe.

“We are diverting some services through the Cape of Good Hope, ensuring uninterrupted and safe operations,” the company said.

The former Minister of Science and former astronaut, Pedro Duque, will be named the next president of the satellite operator Hispasat. Duque will replace Jordi Hereu, appointed Minister of Industry and Tourism, in office.

The former astronaut was one of the independents who entered the first Government of Pedro Sánchez. He held the Science portfolio since 2018, first in the PSOE's solo Executive, and from 2019 with the coalition Cabinet until 2021, when he was replaced by Diana Morant.

Duque was known prior to his arrival to the Executive for being the first Spanish astronaut to travel to space, as a member of an expedition to the International Space Station of the European Space Agency (ESA).

Thus, it is expected that the State Society of Industrial Participations (SEPI) – one of the shareholders of Hispasat – will propose the appointment of Duque as president of the space company tomorrow, Tuesday.. The decision must be ratified at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to be held this Tuesday.

Duque will take charge of Hispasat after leading another company in the sector, Deimos Imaging, of which he was general director between 2006 and 2011. Hispasat is majority controlled by Redeia, which has 89% of its share capital, followed by SEPI and the Center for Industrial Technology Development.

The European Union continues to put the siege on Putin's Russia and this Monday reached a political agreement for the twelfth package of sanctions against Moscow, focused this time on the prohibition of importing, purchasing or transferring diamonds from Russia and also on reinforcing the cooperation with third countries precisely so that restrictive measures cannot be avoided.

“We present a strong set of new schedules and economic measures that will further weaken Russia's war machine. Our message is clear, as I already stated when I chaired the informal Foreign Affairs Council in Kiev: we remain firm in our commitment to Ukraine and will continue to support its fight for freedom and sovereignty,” the EU High Representative summarized after learning of the pact. Josep Borrell, along the same lines as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen: “We continue to support Ukraine, in good times and bad.”

A direct ban applies to natural and non-industrial synthetic diamonds, as well as diamond jewelry, starting January 1, 2024. In addition, the indirect ban on the import of processed (i.e. cut and polished) Russian diamonds into third countries, including jewelry incorporating diamonds originating in Russia, will be phased in from 1 March 2024 and will end on 1 September 2024. 2024. This progressive introduction of indirect import bans is justified by the need to deploy a mechanism that allows effective enforcement measures and minimizes disruptions to the EU market, they explain from Brussels.

The battery that has now been agreed requires “that EU exporters contractually prohibit the re-export to Russia and the re-export for use in Russia of particularly sensitive goods and technology, when they sell, supply, transfer or export to a third country, with exception of partner countries”. The clause covers prohibited items used in Russian military systems found on the battlefield in Ukraine or critical to the development, production or use of those Russian military systems, as well as aviation items and weapons.

This new approach, community sources explained to 20minutos a few weeks ago, “is much more technical, already focused on making the sanctions surgical, in key sectors” for the Russian economy.. On the other hand, the Council has added 29 new entities to the list of those that directly support Putin's Army. They will be subject to stricter restrictions on the export of dual-use goods and technologies, as well as goods and technology that can contribute to the technological improvement of the Russian defense and security sector.. Some of these entities belong to third countries involved in the circumvention of trade restrictions, or are Russian entities involved in the development, production and supply of electronic components for the Russian military and industrial complex.

In addition, the decision expands the list of restricted items that could contribute to the technological improvement of Russia's defense and security sector to include: chemicals, lithium batteries, thermostats, direct current motors and servomotors for non-aircraft vehicles. manned vehicles (UAV), machine tools and machinery parts.

The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved victory this Sunday in the second round of the elections in the city of Pirna, in the state of Saxony, in the east of the country.

Pirna is the capital of the Saechsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district in the administrative region of Dresden and will be governed by AfD-backed candidate Tim Lochner after obtaining 38.5% of the vote, according to preliminary official results cited by public television. German ARD.

Behind was the candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Kathrin Dollinger-Knuth, who obtained 31.4% of the votes.. Ralf Thiele of Free Voters, has achieved 30% support.

Lochner has announced that his first decision as mayor will be to give up his official car and use his private car instead.. In addition, he wants to “get to know municipal officials individually and, if possible, check their loyalty.”

Participation was 53.8%, above the 50.3% of the first round. There were a total of 32,000 people registered.

The Israeli Armed Forces have published this Sunday messages apparently written in blood on cloth and hung on walls that would have been left by the three Israeli hostages who were shot dead on Friday by the Israeli soldiers themselves despite the fact that they were naked from the waist up. They had their hands raised and one of them even carried a white flag.

On these improvised banners they had written “SOS”, “Help, 3 hostages” and they were posted on a building located a few hundred meters from where the shooting occurred in which Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Lulu Shamriz died, in Shejaiya. , in the north of the Gaza Strip.

The messages were discovered on Wednesday, but any response was rejected because they considered it to be a ruse by Hamas militias to lure the military into booby-trapped areas.

“After the tragic incident in which three Israeli hostages were accidentally shot by members of the Israel Defense Forces, the nearby building was searched and posters asking for help were found (…). “It appears that the three kidnapped people were in the building for at least some time,” a military statement said.

Military spokesman Daniel Hagari explained that they are investigating a second building where the hostages could also have been held.

This Sunday, the Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Armed Forces, Herzl Halevi, stressed that “we do not shoot people with their hands up.”

“We hope to have another chance and that hostages come to us and we can do the right thing,” he declared during a meeting with the military.. “I will tell you in a very simple way. The incident is very difficult and painful and no one will tell you otherwise.. I tell you that it is an incident that could have been avoided very easily,” he argued.

“Think. Why did we enter (Gaza)? “We have set ourselves three objectives: dismantle Hamas, restore the security of the residents of the (border) communities and the third mission is to recover the hostages,” he said.. “You see people with their hands up and without shirts and you take two seconds,” he stressed.

The military official has warned that they should not shoot at unarmed Gazans either. “And I tell you something else no less important. If they are two Gazans with a white flag who come to surrender, should we shoot them? Absolutely not. Absolutely not,” Halevi stressed.. “Even those who have fought and now hand over their weapons and raise their hands, we capture them, we do not shoot them. We have obtained a lot of intelligence information from the prisoners we have. We already have more than a thousand,” he highlighted.

“We do not shoot them because the IDF does not shoot people who raise their hands. It is a strength, not a weakness,” stressed the top Israeli military official.

At least 15 people have lost their lives due to the storm that hits Argentina, including a minor, according to Clarín. Thirteen of the victims died last Saturday, while the other two deaths were known during the last hours of Sunday.

A woman has died after being hit by a tree branch in Moreno, Buenos Aires, while another person has drowned after falling into a well at a construction site in Coronel Rosales, also in the capital, according to the Argentine channel. TN. In many streets there are power lines and downed trees that impede vehicle traffic.

On Saturday in Bahía Blanca another thirteen people died due to the collapse of the roof of a skating club when a party was being held inside. “Now the reconstruction tasks begin,” said the mayor of Bahía Blanca, Fede Susbielles, according to the aforementioned media.

The Argentine president, Javier Milei, plans to travel to Bahía Blanca this Sunday, according to sources from the Casa Rosada. “The National Cabinet is working together with the provincial and municipal authorities to assist the victims and control the damage,” the Presidency has indicated.

Meanwhile, in towns like Coronel Rosales, municipal authorities have urged people to avoid any unnecessary travel.. “The community is recommended to take precautions and reduce circulation to a minimum. Maintenance work is underway throughout the district. Take into consideration the impossibility of loading fuel, so departures will only be for emergencies,” they noted.

The Government of the City of Buenos Aires has received 544 requests for help from early Sunday morning until 9:00 in the morning due to the serious damage that the storm has left in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) maintains the validity of the orange alert.

Michelle Mone, 'baroness' in the House of Lords (upper, not elected) of the British Parliament for the Conservative Party, admitted this Sunday that she will ultimately benefit from the income obtained by her husband's company, when it sold to the Government personal protective equipment during the pandemic, in the event that he or she dies.

Mone acknowledged in a BBC program that she lied to the press, although supposedly not to the Executive, when she previously denied that she would personally benefit, after having recommended her husband's company, Doug Barrowman, to the Ministry of Health during the health emergency.

PPE Medpro, from which Barrowman said this Sunday that it made a net profit of about 60 million pounds (70 million euros) from contracts valued at more than 200 million (232 million euros), is investigated for alleged fraud by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and has been sued by the Government.

Mone is also being questioned by the House of Lords, to which she was appointed by former Tory Prime Minister David Cameron, for failing to declare a possible conflict of interest.

In the interview with the BBC, the couple apologized for misleading about their role in the agreement with the Public Administration but she, who is on leave from the Lords and is no longer active in the ruling party, insisted that she has not committed “any crime”.

Mone admitted that “of course” she will benefit from the contracts eventually, as will her children, if her husband dies, as heirs to his fortune.

The Government, which is also facing criticism for its management of contracts during the pandemic, has sued PPE Medpro to try to recover a good part of the amount invested, after considering that many of the parts supplied did not meet the required standards.

The Minister of Education of France, Gabriel Attal, announced this Sunday that classes to work on empathy in minors will be launched experimentally in January 2024 in a thousand schools in the country as a way to stop bullying. .

In an interview with RTL, Attal said that this measure is inspired by what Denmark does, which, according to the minister, has been the European country that has managed to substantially reduce cases of bullying.

“They have told me that the most effective thing is an empathy course, a time in which we learn to respect the differences of others, a culture of seeking common ground when there is a conflict, to manage anger,” he said.

Attal stated that this device, which was initially going to be applied to only 100 schools in January 2024, has decided to expand it to 1,000 and plans to make it mandatory in all establishments starting in September 2024.

The time of this empathy course will be between one or two hours per week and is dedicated to students from 3 years old (preschool) to 12 years old.

The empathy courses join a long list of measures proposed by the French Government last September, according to the French newspaper Le Figaro. Changing the class or school of the bullies, questionnaires to detect harassment or the hiring of specialized academic teams, are some of the other proposals in the French fight against Bullying in the classrooms.

At least 61 migrants, including women and children, died this Saturday in a “tragic” shipwreck off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported.

“According to survivors, the boat with about 86 people on board left the Libyan coast from Zuara (west of Tripoli). The Central Mediterranean continues to be one of the most dangerous migratory routes in the world,” the IOM detailed in a statement.

Libya is, along with Tunisia, the main starting point on the migratory route from the Central Mediterranean to Europe, considered one of the deadliest known in which 2,203 people have died as of November, more than 22,400 since 2014.

As of December 9, the Libyan coast guard had intercepted hundreds of boats with more than 15,300 people who were returned to Libya, a country considered “not safe” by human rights organizations.

The organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) published a report this week in which it denounced the abuse and mistreatment of asylum seekers and immigrants in detention centers in Tripoli, where thousands of people are being held arbitrarily.

This Saturday, the Agency against Illegal Immigration of the Government of National Unity (GUN) of Libya released 106 immigrants of Syrian, Sudanese and Palestinian nationality “on the condition that they do not try to cross the sea to the European Union again,” said the Ministry of the Interior.

The IOM also reported the voluntary return of 136 immigrants from Bangladesh, including two families, of which 41 had medical health problems.

On the journey from Libya to Europe, more than 950 people died in 2023 and another 1,200 are still missing.

Egyptians, Bangladeshis and Syrians are the main nationalities of the immigrants who leave Libya and manage to reach European coasts, mainly Italy.

More than 700,000 migrants of some 40 nationalities reside in Libya, according to the latest report from the international organization.

The state of Tennessee, in the southeastern United States, has been hit in the last week by strong tornadoes that have left behind a trail of destruction and death. At least six people have died, including a mother and her young son, US media such as CNN report.. However, in the midst of the chaos the unexpected has arisen: a four-month-old baby has been found alive in a tree after having disappeared after being blown away by hurricane-force winds.

It was a week ago when a powerful tornado ripped off the roof of the mobile home where Sydney Moore lived with her boyfriend, Aramis Youngblood, and their two children, Princeton and Lord, aged one year and four months, respectively.

The youngest was sleeping in a carrycot when he was swept away by a whirlwind of wind and debris.. “The tip of the tornado came down and took the bassinet with my baby, Lord, inside,” Sydney Moore told local station WSMV-TV.

Her boyfriend and the child's father then tried to grab the crib, but was also swept away by the tornado.. In turn, Moore grabbed her other one-year-old son, Princeton, to try to protect him as the walls of the home collapsed around him.

“I couldn't breathe,” Moore recalled, saying that both she and her eldest son were crushed by the rubble of their house, although they managed to emerge from under the wreckage unharmed.

After what happened, Moore was convinced that her young son, Lord, had died.. “I was pretty sure he was dead and we weren't going to find him,” she said.. However, after ten agonizing minutes of searching in the rain, the father found the baby crying on a fallen tree a few meters from the place where his house used to be.

“It was like a scene from a movie,” Moore recalled, recounting how she saw her boyfriend “walking in the pouring rain, with his clothes torn and with Lord in his arms.”. His sister, Caitlyn Moore, has started a campaign through the Gofundme website to try to raise money to help her family, who has “lost everything” after the devastating tornadoes.