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The illegal alien charged with burning a woman alive on a New York City subway says he “doesn’t know what happened” while suggesting he may have been drunk at the time of the fatal attack, according to prosecutors. Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested last week and charged with first- and second-degree murder after having been captured on subway surveillance footage allegedly setting a woman on fire on the F train’s Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island stop. The woman, who died as a result of the fire, has yet to be identified by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) because her burns were so severe. According to prosecutors, Zapeta-Calil told police he “drinks a lot of liquor” and “doesn’t know what happened” at the time of the fatal attack. Zapeta-Calil had reportedly been living in a Brooklyn homeless shelter frequented by men with substance abuse issues. Prosecutors said that while the woman was on fire, seemingly standing in a state of paralysis, Zapeta-Calil watched her burn alive and even, at one point, got up to fan the flames. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have confirmed that Zapeta-Calil is an illegal alien who is among millions of so-called “got-aways” living in the United States after having successfully crossed the southern border without being detected. According to ICE officials, Zapeta-Calil first crossed the border on June 1, 2018, near Sonoita, Arizona. He was given an order of expedited removal and deported to his native Guatemala six days after crossing. Subsequently, on an unknown date at an unknown location, Zapeta-Calil crossed the border without being detected by Border Patrol agents and ultimately made his way to New York City, which has a strict sanctuary jurisdiction policy that vows not to cooperate with ICE agents. Zapeta-Calil is being held without bail. His next court appearance is Friday. John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here .
Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino on Thursday ruled out negotiations with US President-elect Donald Trump over control of the Panama Canal, denying that China was interfering in its operation. Mulino also rejected the possibility of reducing tolls for US vessels in response to Trump's threat to demand control of the vital waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans be returned to Washington. "There's nothing to talk about," Mulino told a press conference. "The canal is Panamanian and belongs to Panamanians. There's no possibility of opening any kind of conversation around this reality, which has cost the country blood, sweat and tears," he added. The canal, inaugurated in 1914, was built by the United States but handed to Panama on December 31, 1999, under treaties signed some two decades earlier by then-US president Jimmy Carter and Panamanian nationalist leader Omar Torrijos. Trump on Saturday slammed what he called "ridiculous" fees for US ships passing through the canal and hinted at China's growing influence. "It was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "We would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands!" If Panama could not ensure "the secure, efficient and reliable operation" of the channel, "then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question," he said. - 'No Chinese interference' - An estimated five percent of global maritime traffic passes through the Panama Canal, which allows ships traveling between Asia and the US East Coast to avoid the long, hazardous route around the southern tip of South America. The United States is its main user, accounting for 74 percent of cargo, followed by China with 21 percent. Mulino said the canal's usage fees were "not set at the whim of the president or the administrator" of the interoceanic waterway, but under a long-established "public and open process." "There is absolutely no Chinese interference or participation in anything to do with the Panama Canal," Mulino said. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social alleged, without evidence, that Chinese soldiers were "lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal." Mulino denied that allegation, too. "There are no Chinese soldiers in the canal, for the love of God," he added. Panama established diplomatic relations with China in 2017, after breaking off ties with Taiwan -- a decision criticized by Trump's first administration. On Tuesday, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in Panama City chanting "Trump, animal, leave the canal alone" and burning an image of the incoming US president. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)Billionaire Elon Musk called Canada’s prime minister an “insufferable tool” on his social media platform today. Musk’s comments were in response to Justin Trudeau likening Kamala Harris’s defeat in the U.S. presidential election to an attack on women’s rights and progress. This afternoon, Trudeau met with provincial and territorial premiers to discuss Canada’s approach to negotiations with the U.S. Canada is facing a threat of a 25 per cent tariff hike from incoming president Donald Trump, who defeated Harris in the November election. Earlier this week, Trump taunted Trudeau on social media, referring to the prime minister as the governor of what he called the “Great State of Canada.” The post was an apparent reference to a joke Trump cracked at his dinner with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate nearly two weeks ago, where the president-elect teased that Canada could join the U.S. as its 51st state. Speaking on Tuesday night at an event hosted by the Equal Voice Foundation — an organization dedicated to improving gender representation in Canadian politics — Trudeau said there are regressive forces fighting against women’s progress. “It shouldn’t be that way. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. We were supposed to be on a steady, if difficult sometimes, march towards progress,” Trudeau said, adding he is a proud feminist and will always be an ally. “And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president. Everywhere, women’s rights and women’s progress is under attack. Overtly, and subtly.” In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk responded to a clip of Trudeau’s remarks, saying, “He’s such an insufferable tool. Won’t be in power for much longer.”I'm A Celebrity fans are up in arms, calling for one campmate to be the first voted off, labelling him "selfish" and "annoying". During Sunday's episode of the hit reality show set in Australia, hosted by Ant and Dec, there was a significant change in camp dynamics. Tulisa Constostavlos and Coronation Street's Alan Halsall stepped down from their leadership roles, passing the baton to McFly's Danny Jones and boxing icon Barry McGuigan. This transition meant relinquishing their comfortable beds in the Leaders' Lodge to sleep among the other contestants in the jungle. Tulisa picked a spot near the campfire but issued a stern warning to Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter Dean McCullogh about not singing any musical theatre tunes early in the morning, as it wouldn't sit well with her. However, in Monday's show, despite Tulisa's decision to have a lie-in, she was rudely awakened by the very thing she dreaded a musical theatre performance, reports . Dean remarked: "Now that she's out of the Leaders' Lodge, Tulisa has warned me that there must be no musical theatre early in the morning, so I made it my mission to make sure the camp woke up this morning with the sound of lovely singing!" While Tulisa appeared to handle the situation with good humour, viewers were less forgiving, taking to social media to express their annoyance, with many stating they 'need' Dean to be the first to go. One viewer expressed said: "Such an iconic lineup being spoiled by Dean and Dean only" accompanied by a gif that read 'I need him out'. Another comented: "I would get up and punch him In the face! " while a thord added: "Can't wait for Dean to be out first! ! ! " There was also sharp criticism as a fourth called the contestant "selfish" and another alleged that he did "everything he can to annoy other campmates". Comments on Dean's behaviour continued when one viewer remarked that he was "two-faced", referring to an incident where he previously snapped at Alan over some early morning chores. In other developments from Monday's episode, new arrival Maura Higgins celebrated her 34th birthday in the jungle, while Dean faced the pressures of his sixth Bushtucker Trial, titled Jack and the Scream Stalk, setting a personal best in the process. The trial presented Dean with a chance to win 12 stars by collecting them in numerical order within a 12-minute limit. Starting his challenge by climbing the beanstalk, he then had to reach the summit to piece together the golden egg, before moving to the castle where additional stars awaited. Despite the obstacle-ridden course, including numerous 'hell holes', Dean impressively snagged 10 of the 12 available stars - topping his own record.
Girls Soccer Roundup: Bulldogs start on 3-0 win streakAt a town hall meeting with the bureau workforce, Mr Wray said he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought”. Mr Wray’s intended resignation is not unexpected considering that Mr Trump had picked Mr Patel for the role in his new administration. Mr Wray had previously been named by Mr Trump and began the 10-year term — a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations — in 2017, after Mr Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey. Mr Trump had demonstrated his anger with Mr Wray on multiple occasions, including after Mr Wray’s congressional testimony in September. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Mr Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” Mr Wray continued: “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me. I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Mr Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorised to discuss the private gathering and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Mr Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the weaponisation of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice” and saying that Mr Patel’s confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again”. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI’s Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators”, raising alarm that he might seek to wield the FBI’s significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Mr Trump’s perceived enemies. Mr Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to “a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one”.
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Fully half of the best films ever —from Charlie Chaplin’s to Claude Lanzmann’s—are replete with cinematic selfies. Yet they are rare over all, perhaps because the camera is an unflinching diagnostician. The medium admits self-portraiture with obvious ease (just step in front of the camera), but few filmmakers can withstand its penetrating gaze, which is surely why the practice self-selects toward the masters of the art. In the newest release to take up the challenge, Leos Carax’s “It’s Not Me,” the French director approaches the genre as a mosaic. He presents an audiovisual collage in which he only occasionally appears, made up of archival film clips and still photos, music and voice-overs, title cards and effects, and some newly filmed footage. With these elements, he forms a thematic and emotional self-portrait, delving into his personal life, taking stock of his career, and reflecting on art, politics, family, and the cinema as a form of self-discovery. Carax, who is sixty-four, has been making films since 1980 and made his first feature, “ Boy Meets Girl ,” in 1984. His early career was meteoric. By 1991, he had directed two movies (“ Bad Blood ” and “The Lovers on the Bridge”) of breathtakingly grand-scale inspiration, but he has made only three features since (most recently, “ Annette ,” from 2021). His ambitions, formed by spectacular golden-age classics and by the moderns’ uninhibited artistry, have run up against the realities of the economy and the psychology of contemporary cinema—its all-too-common division of industrial power and artistic intent. Yet his presence in the world of film—even when it takes the form of his absence—has, alongside his output, made him an exemplary outlier, a living myth, albeit a reticent one. He doesn’t so much cultivate a public image as he bears it, as something of an Icarus of romantically visionary designs. With “It’s Not Me,” Carax confronts the aberration of celebrity (even art-house celebrity) by means of a cinematic self-creation that’s both a matter of sincere reticence and an audaciously assertive work of art. “It’s Not Me” (now playing in theatres and available for purchase on Amazon and other sites, and, as of January 1st, streaming on the Criterion Channel) is as elusive as the title suggests. It’s a barely feature-length film, which originated as a commission from the Pompidou Center. Though only forty-two minutes long, it’s crowded with images and ideas, like a collection of keepsakes overflowing the little chest of drawers in which they’re kept. It’s also mercurially allusive, with its teeming material jammed together associatively, in an impressionistic whirl of abrupt transitions and superimpositions. Yet, as digressive as its surface seems, an artist’s sense of creative organization is at work. Elements are gathered together thematically and, subtly but surely, a chronological arc emerges. The result is a classical autobiography built of fragments and gaps—less a collection than a personal constellation. The title “It’s Not Me” may seem like a puckishly implausible denial, yet it’s accurate. The film, a shy director’s self-portrait, is filled with things that aren’t Carax but that make him who he is, whether memories or ideas, phrases or images, worldly deeds and works of art—especially, of course, movies. A crucial element of modernism is the endnote—as typified by T. S. Eliot’s “ The Waste Land ”—as a vital aesthetic element, linking a sometimes cryptic art work to the cultural precedents on which it depends and to which it subtly refers. That’s the tacit premise on which “It’s Not Me” runs, and its equivalent of Eliot’s endnotes are the credits, which detail all the films and music on which Carax draws. There are clips from thirty-one movies, including Eadweard Muybridge’s primordial motion studies, F. W. Murnau’s “Sunrise,” Nicholas Ray’s “Bigger Than Life,” Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” and much of Carax’s own work. The soundtrack features Miles Davis, Prokofiev, Beethoven, and musicians who have figured in Carax’s films, such as Kylie Minogue, Sparks, and, of course, David Bowie, whose song “Modern Love” anchored an unforgettable set piece in “Bad Blood.” Early on, Carax shows himself in bed, accompanied by an allusion to the opening of “Swann’s Way,” and his vision of himself reaches back before firsthand memory, to his conception (featuring egg-related clips from “Bad Blood” and Ernst Lubitsch’s “The Marriage Circle”) and his family origins. His story and his family’s reach into the crises of the twentieth century and into contemporary politics. There are images of Shostakovich, Hitler, and clips that include documentary footage of an infamous 1939 pro-Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden (and its interruption by a young man outraged by the antisemitism on display). There is a segment showing politicians whom Carax deems to be possessed of “hate,” such as Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bashar al-Assad, and Vladimir Putin. (“They all claim to be humiliated and offended,” he notes.) There’s an astoundingly appalling bedtime story about Hitler and death camps; an extended lament on widespread indifference to migrants whose corpses wash up on European beaches; and visions of resistance, including documentary footage of Pussy Riot, and the French Resistance as personified by one of its heroes, Jean Moulin. Carax riffs on his father’s identity, and the sense of paternity on display extends to “bad” movie fathers like ones played by James Mason, Robert Mitchum, and Adam Driver (in Carax’s “Annette”). Another of Carax’s cited father figures is Jean-Luc Godard, whose presence is felt throughout: the soundtrack even features a phone message Godard left for Carax asking him to call back, and the very nature of the project is reminiscent of Godard’s self-portrait film “JLG/JLG.” There are differences, of course; unlike Carax, Godard was a character, acting often in his own films and those of others, and he cultivated his public image with an artistic aplomb. Still, the similarities are felt, stylistically and technically, in the collage-like form and the free manipulation of archival images—and, above all, in a shared sense of audacious yet exquisite aestheticism yoked to a strain of refined, resolute insolence. Carax’s art is exemplified with clips of ecstatic and intimate performances that he has elicited from regular collaborators, such as Julie Delpy, Juliette Binoche, Michel Piccoli, Denis Lavant, and Carax’s late partner, Katerina Golubeva. Her death, in 2011, haunts the film and hovers over Carax’s depiction of their daughter, Nastya, seen in home movies as a small child and, as an adult, as an accomplished pianist. (Carax uses special effects to transform a performance of her into a gothic extravaganza.) He interrogates himself, in particular, as director of actresses, through the self-accusingly melancholy lens of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story “The Birth-Mark,” about a murderous quest for perfect beauty. While following his own life cinematically, Carax includes reflections on the art itself—in particular, his view of the lost grandeur of its classics, which he has sought to recapture with modern means. He discusses “the gaze of the gods” offered by the heavy equipment of the silent-film era, comparing it ruefully with the meekness of lightweight modern technology. He draws a similarly self-deprecating contrast between the laborious wonder that film of motion represented for the nineteenth-century pioneer Muybridge and the ease of modern motion capture as depicted ( and transfigured ) in his own movie “ Holy Motors .” In an extended sequence, launched by a poetic riff on blinking, he links today’s inexhaustible profusion of images with a metaphorical form of blindness. The movie concludes with a sequence of astounding, giddy inspiration. After the endnote-like credits comes an ingenious mashup of Carax’s celebrated “Modern Love” sequence in “Bad Blood” with his most recent feature, “Annette.” It’s a fusion of the classic and the modern, the spectacular and the whimsical, the boldly fictional and the self-effacingly metafictional. It’s no mere happenstance that Carax places this set piece after his modernist endnotes—it’s a whiplash assertion that the naming of his self-defining obsessions is beside the point. The movie’s referential fragmentation is secondary to its unity as an experience. What’s most personal about “It’s Not Me” is what can’t be sourced in the credits: the art of the cinema itself. ♦ New Yorker Favorites A man was murdered in cold blood and you’re laughing ? The best albums of 2024. Little treats galore: a holiday gift guide . How Maria Callas lost her voice . An objectively objectionable grammatical pet peeve . What happened when the Hallmark Channel “ leaned into Christmas .” Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker .Trudeau says he expects Montreal rioters to be 'pursued and punished'Saudi authorities seizes Captagon drugs worth millions of dollars
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Manmohan Singh: The Man Who Shaped India, And The Family That Carried His LegacyIt's four days before 2024 concludes. Let's walk down memory lane and look back at some of the defining moments of the year that will soon pass. Yes, Virginia, a cartload of events came our way—improvements in basic services, particularly in disaster preparedness following a number of natural calamities that visited the country, and the brewing political discord. Notable among these events was the early change in Senate leadership, with independent Senator Miguel Zubiri stepping down as Senate President and being replaced by Francis Escudero. Then, who could forget the resignation of Vice President Sara Duterte as Secretary of the Department of Education and vice chairperson of the anti-insurgency body? This effectively ended the already fragmented UniTeam alliance and practically confirmed the long-held observation of a political rift between the two highest elected officials of the land. Another noteworthy development with implications for the coming year, potentially affecting business, was the impeachment case filed against the Vice President, consisting of 24 offenses, including failure to account for her spending of confidential funds. The progress of this impeachment case hangs in the balance due to time constraints, with lawmakers soon to be busy campaigning for the mid-term elections in May 2025. And, of course, the assumption of operations at Ninoy Aquino International Airport by the San Miguel Corporation-led New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. promises to improve the premier gateway and potentially boost the tourism industry. As San Miguel President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang stated in his Christmas message, the upgrading of NAIA to international standards is a work in progress. "We work to provide you with a gateway we can all be proud of... to provide a better airport experience and elevate NAIA to world-class standards.” From a business perspective, 2024 was a year of recovery, recapturing lost opportunities. “It was the year that operations nearly equaled pre-pandemic performance. It’s the year that most companies have equaled their 2019 figures,” enthused Victory Liner Inc. President Marivic del Pilar. Rowena Ruaro, whose events concierge and dermatology clinic businesses virtually slumped during the lockdown, echoed this view. “The year taught me adaptability and patience. But still, I am grateful for the journey. Our business adapted to pre-pandemic era finances.” For finance professional educator and Vice President and Head of Business Development & Market Education Departments at First Metro Securities Brokerage Corporation, “momentum” encapsulates 2024. “This year has been marked by resilience and transformation. The banking sector, fueled by technological advancements and a renewed focus on sustainability, continues to redefine customer experiences. The middle-class market has proven to be the cornerstone. For the economy, it’s about seizing opportunities amidst challenges, driven by the collective efforts of businesses, policymakers, and everyday Filipinos.” For millennial Kyla, it was a healing process that made her stronger and more prepared to take on new challenges in both her personal life and business. From my corner of the Business Corridor, as the end of the year approaches, let’s take stock of the experiences and lessons learned to prepare us better for the year ahead. Talkback to me at [email protected]Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Get the latest Daily Record breaking news on WhatsApp Motherwell Photographic Society held its Christmas social night at the latest meeting. The club will now take a break for the festive season before recommencing on Thursday, January 9, when the guest speaker will be Campbell Skinner from Greenock Camera Club. Campbell will give a presentation on event photography. Download the Lanarkshire Live app today The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download...
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