International

More than 1,000 families affected by floods in La Plata, Argentina

Photo: Noticias Argentinas

August 18|

More than a thousand families from various neighborhoods of the city of La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires, had to be assisted, after flooding caused by heavy rains that occurred on Thursday, while the three evacuation centers were being organized.

The climatological event registered between Wednesday night and Thursday morning had a historical magnitude of 155 millimeters fallen, with sectors of Los Hornos, Melchor Romero, Lisandro Olmos, Abasto, Villa Elvira, Altos de San Lorenzo and San Carlos among the most affected.

This Thursday, the historical record of maximum rainfall in one day in August was broken. Specifically, it rained almost twice the monthly average for the eighth month since 1991, which was 67.5 mm in a single day.

In the case of the southern area of the Conurbano and La Plata, neighbors showed on social networks the flooded streets and the respective evacuations as a result of the large amount of water that fell.

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The Municipality of La Plata declared a yellow alert and installed an evacuation center in the locality of Los Hornos for the affected families; especially those irregularly installed in the tributaries of the streams.

Some 110 flights are affected at Jorge Newbery and Ezeiza airports due to the intense storm.

Between the two airports, 93 flights were delayed, 27 had to be cancelled and seven were diverted to alternative airports because of the impossibility of landing due to adverse weather conditions.

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.”