International

Venezuela backs Cuba’s denunciation on EU manipulation

Photo: El Universal

July 11 |

Venezuela supports the denunciations made by the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, related to the lack of transparency and manipulative behavior of the European Union in the preparation of the III Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)-EU, to be held in Brussels, Belgium.

This was reported by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, who published a statement on his official Twitter account, following the public statement made by Bruno Rodríguez, who denounced such action by the EU, which put the success of the meeting at risk, he warned.

Minister Rodriguez rejected the actions of the European right wing that “intends to hide from the press and public opinion the content of the debates that are organized unilaterally, and forums parallel to the summit,” Gil revealed.

He also denounced that the European side “decides on its own, including who will be the representatives of our region in the events. Such behavior, in addition to being disrespectful, creates the conditions for these forums to become scenarios for attacks and singling out Celac member countries”, he warned.

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In this regard, Venezuela also rejected “the European Union’s attempt to minimize the role of the sovereign states of our region, as well as the opacity with which it intends to carry out a series of parallel events, without due coordination with our countries, whose conclusions could be instrumentalized to feed the agendas of political groups contrary to the objectives that summoned us to this important meeting”, the communiqué warns.

It also adds to Cuba’s commitment to “attend the summit with a constructive spirit and to contribute, on the basis of respect, mutual commitment and cooperation between our regions, with the aim of building a long-term agenda for the shared benefit of our peoples,” the document stresses.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”