Por Ibrahim Dahman, Max Saltman y Thomas Bordeaux, CNN

Las Fuerzas Militares de Israel informaron que mataron a un palestino “sospechoso de lanzar un bloque” contra sus soldados el sábado durante una operación en la localidad ocupada de Qabatiya, en Ribera Occidental.

Un video revisado por CNN muestra a un soldado disparándole al adolescente cuando está a solo unos metros de distancia. En un comunicado anterior, las fuerzas militares no usaron la palabra “sospechoso” y dijo que la persona “lanzó un bloque hacia los soldados”.

El palestino fue identificado como Rayan Muhammad Abdul Qader Abu Mualla, de 16 años, por el Ministerio de Salud, citando a la Autoridad General Palestina de Asuntos Civiles (PGACA), que informó que su cuerpo sigue retenido por Israel tras ser asesinado en el barrio Al-Sab’aneh de Qabatiya.

Un video de 26 segundos de una cámara de seguridad, compartido en redes sociales y geolocalizado por CNN en Al-Sab’aneh, muestra lo que parece ser el momento en que los soldados israelíes disparan contra Abu Mualla.

En el video, una persona camina por un callejón hacia dos soldados con casco, agachados parcialmente detrás de una esquina. La persona está a punto de llegar a la esquina cuando uno de los soldados levanta su rifle y dispara a quemarropa, causando que la persona caiga hacia atrás.

Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel (FDI) dijeron en su declaración inicial que sus soldados habían sido atacados por un “terrorista”. El video muestra los 18 segundos previos al disparo, durante los cuales no parece lanzarse nada desde el callejón de donde viene el adolescente palestino. Sin embargo, su mano izquierda está oculta. Se desconoce quién hizo la grabación, quién la difundió primero o qué ocurrió antes de que comenzara el video.

El sábado, el sitio de noticias israelí Ynet publicó lo que dice es una foto de la mano izquierda de Abu Mualla sosteniendo un trozo de concreto, tomada después de su muerte. CNN no pudo verificar si la foto corresponde a la misma persona que aparece en la grabación de seguridad.

La Media Luna Roja Palestina informó que los soldados israelíes impidieron que sus equipos de emergencia llegaran al lugar del disparo.

Un conjunto de Read more

Por Mohammed Tawfeeq

Iraq, la histórica “tierra entre dos ríos”, afronta una crisis que golpea su identidad mientras los ríos Tigris y Éufrates se reducen drásticamente en medio de una sequía severa y el creciente impacto de represas aguas arriba, lo que contribuye a crear una de las peores carencias de agua en el país en décadas.

Antaño símbolos de abundancia, los dos ríos, que ambos nacen en Turquía, se han convertido en el centro de una lucha que obliga a Iraq a usar su bien más lucrativo —el petróleo— para asegurar su agua.

El país, con más de 46 millones de habitantes, sufre una fuerte disminución en el suministro de agua debido a una serie de factores, incluido la construcción de represas aguas arriba en Turquía, Irán y Siria; una infraestructura de agua deteriorada y obsoleta tras décadas de guerra, sanciones e inestabilidad; y mala gestión gubernamental. Añadiendo presión está una severa sequía impulsada por el cambio climático, la peor de Iraq en casi un siglo.

Al mismo tiempo, la demanda aumenta debido al crecimiento de la población urbana y un sector agrícola sediento, que consume más del 80 % de los recursos hídricos de Iraq.

Lluvias intensas e inundaciones repentinas azotaron Iraq durante varios días este mes, dejando al menos seis muertos, según la Agencia de Noticias Iraquí estatal. Sin embargo, las represas de Iraq aún enfrentan una gran escasez de agua tras años de poca lluvia, dijo el lunes en un comunicado el Ministerio de Recursos Hídricos del país.

Aproximadamente el 60 % del agua de Iraq proviene de fuentes en la vecina Turquía, pero actualmente el país está recibiendo menos agua en comparación con años anteriores, dijo Mukhtar Khamis, experto ambiental y jefe de la Organización de Clima Verde Iraquí.

Las represas aguas arriba en los dos ríos, particularmente las construidas por Turquía, restringen significativamente el flujo de agua hacia Iraq, dijo a CNN, lo que resulta en una reducción sustancial en la disponibilidad de agua y agrava la crisis de escasez de agua en curso del país.

Años de corrupción y mala gestión también han dejado a Iraq en una posición vulnerable de negociación en lo que respecta a acuerdos de distribución de agua, dijeron los expertos.

A medida que su crisis hídrica se agrava, Iraq ha entablado un polémico acuerdo de cooperación con Turquía.

En noviembre, los dos países formalizaron el Acuerdo Marco de Cooperación sobre el Agua de varios miles de millones de dólares, en virtud del cual empresas turcas construirán nueva infraestructura para mejorar la eficiencia y el almacenamiento de agua de Iraq. Los proyectos se financiarán con los ingresos del petróleo iraquí, lo que supone un intento de convertir las exportaciones de crudo del país en seguridad hídrica.

En virtud del acuerdo, Iraq venderá un número acordado de barriles de petróleo cada día, cuyos beneficios se depositarán en un fondo para pagar a empresas turcas por trabajos en proyectos de infraestructura hídrica, dijo Torhan al-Mufti, asesor de asuntos hídricos del primer ministro iraquí Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.

Los proyectos iniciales incluirán represas de captación de agua e iniciativas de recuperación de tierras, según un informe de Reuters.

Ankara presentó la iniciativa como mutuamente beneficiosa para la estabilidad regional y la cooperación económica. “En Turquía estamos interesados en apoyar la seguridad, el desarrollo y la seguridad de Iraq, y nuestro apoyo es absoluto para esto”, dijo el Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Turquía, Hakan Fidan, en Bagdad durante la ceremonia de firma.

El ministro

By Auzinea Bacon, CNN

(CNN) — Popular Kentucky bourbon maker Jim Beam plans to pause production at its main distillery on January 1, according to the James B. Beam Distilling Co.

The decision comes as Kentucky faces an increasing supply of aging barrels and uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Kentucky has an all-time high of 16.1 million aging barrels of bourbon in its warehouses, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association said in October. Distillers are paying for that supply, since the state charges taxes on aging barrels of spirits. Kentucky distillers paid $75 million in aging barrel taxes this year, up 27% from 2024, according to the trade group.

Jim Beam, which is owned by Suntory Global Spirits, intends to pause production at its main distillery on the James B. Beam campus in Clermont, Kentucky, while it invests “in site enhancements,” according to a company statement. It will continue distilling at its Fred B. Noe craft distillery in Clermont and the Booker Noe distillery in Boston, Kentucky.

“We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand and recently met with our team to discuss our volumes for 2026,” the company said in the statement shared with CNN on Sunday.

Suntory Global Spirits has not announced layoffs. It employs more than 1,000 people across its Kentucky sites, according to the company.

Bottling and warehousing will continue in Clermont, according to the statement, and Jim Beam will continue talks with employees represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union as it determines the impact on its workforce.

Union representatives have not responded to CNN’s request for comment.

Alcohol on the front lines of the trade war

Whiskey and spirit makers have had to deal with retaliatory tariffs from the trade war sparked by Trump’s tariffs, and with consumers pulling back on discretionary spending amid an affordability crisis.

The trade fallout between the United States and Canada has also impacted whiskey and spirit makers. In March, Canadian officials banned American spirits from stores, a rule that is still in place in some provinces.

The European Union in March threatened to increase tariffs on American whiskey to 50% in retaliation for Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, but in August the EU announced a six-month suspension of retaliatory tariffs on US imports, including distilled spirits, wine and used barrels.

“Long-term planning for a product that won’t be ready for years is already tough enough. We need the certainty of tariff-free trade for America’s only native spirit to flourish,” Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, said in October.

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By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN

(CNN) — The Trump administration has signaled to the Smithsonian Institution that the White House could withhold federal funding from the museum organization if it does not comply with the administration’s unprecedented, sweeping review.

In a Thursday letter to Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, White House officials said funds are available only “for use in a manner consistent” with President Donald Trump’s executive order from March, which tasked aides with rooting out “ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives” within the organization.

Tensions between the White House and the Smithsonian ramped up in August, when the administration asked the organization to turn over an array of materials, including gallery labels, future exhibition plans and internal communications about artwork selection.

The White House officials said materials the Smithsonian handed over in September “fell far short of what was requested, and the overwhelming majority of requested items remain outstanding.”

CNN has reached out to the Smithsonian for comment.

The letter, penned by White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and Trump’s budget chief Russ Vought, urged the Smithsonian to align itself with the administration’s push to get rid of what it considers anti-American propaganda.

“The American people will have no patience for any museum that is diffident about America’s founding or otherwise uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history, one which is justifiably proud of our country’s accomplishments and record,” the officials said.

While the Smithsonian, a unique public-private trust, does not consider itself an executive agency, the federal government supplies two-thirds of its budget. It’s a potential vulnerability for the 179-year-old institution, which has tried to maintain its independence despite unprecedented scrutiny of its programming by the Trump White House.

Federal funding has emerged as a major leverage point for the Trump administration, which, through the Vought-led Office of Management and Budget, has gutted agencies and initiatives that don’t align with the president’s agenda.

Trump directed his attorneys in August to conduct the review, claiming the Smithsonian was “out of control” and that “everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”

The museum complex now has until January 13 to turn in the rest of the requested documents, which include organizational charts, curatorial manuals, proposals for future exhibitions, and in-depth information about its programming for the US’ 250th anniversary next year.

The Washington Post has reported that Bunch, the institution’s secretary since 2019, committed to sharing information in a letter responding to the White House on Friday. He also noted that the recent

By Steve Contorno, CNN

Phoenix (CNN) — This weekend’s gathering of young Republicans and conservative influencers in the Arizona desert offered a glimpse into the divisions already fraying President Donald Trump’s coalition even before its lame-duck leader is out of the picture.

Enter Vice President JD Vance, a figure many in the movement view as the man who can keep the party’s big tent together through the Trump era and beyond.

Speaking Sunday at Turning Point USA’s annual conference, AmericaFest, Vance not only addressed head-on the friction pulling at the party, but he also encouraged attendees to embrace it.

“I know some of you are discouraged by the infighting over any number of issues. Don’t be discouraged,” Vance said. “Would you rather lead a movement of free thinkers who sometimes disagree than a bunch of drones who take their orders from George Soros?”

As the party’s No. 2, Vance has spent the past year cautiously treading through the GOP’s arising tensions, taking care not to alienate any corner of the party’s growing tent. He has largely maintained credibility with Israel’s allies and its skeptics, Big Tech billionaires and artificial intelligence alarmists, immigration hardliners and green-card advocates, isolationists and foreign policy hawks, populists and establishment Republicans.

But the four-day Phoenix summit, the first since a gunman killed Turning Point’s founder, Charlie Kirk, exposed the challenge ahead for Vance. Speakers bad-mouthed one another from the stage, clashed over whether to engage with conspiracy theorists, argued over who belongs in the GOP and America and sparred openly over Israel’s influence on US foreign policy.

Vance is familiar with adapting to his party’s changing winds. He once aligned with “Never Trump” Republicans before becoming a vocal supporter — a transition that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles acknowledged to Vanity Fair appeared politically expedient. And he remains the Republican best positioned to emerge from these internal struggles in 2028. A new CNN poll found 22% of Republican and right-leaning independents would like to see Vance run for president.

No other GOP figure eclipsed 5%. And on the opening night of AmericaFest, Kirk’s widow and Turning Point’s new leader Erika Kirk endorsed Vance for president, even though he has yet to formally launch a bid.

Vance urged Turning Point attendees to help pressure the Republican-led Senate to approve Trump’s judges so there can be “more prosecutions” and “swifter justice.” He hurled insults against Democrats heading into the midterms and even launched some early missives at some of the minority party’s rumored 2028 contenders that he may one day face.

In a deeply partisan speech dripping in Christian nationalism, Vance called on the movement to turn its ire outward, instead of inward.

“I’m not saying you have to be a Christian to be an American,” Vance said. “I’m saying something simple and truer: Christianity is America’s dream.”

An early 2028 endorsement

Should he run, Vance will now carry into the primary a key base of support from an organization credited with boosting Trump’s successful courtship of millennial and Gen Z voters. Turning Point also brought in $84 million in the 2024 fiscal year, according to its most recent tax filings, and has field operations that were battle-tested during the last election cycl