International

Unions call 24-hour strike in Uruguay

Photo: El País

August 22|

The Plenario Intersindical de Trabajadores – Convención Nacional de Trabajadores, popularly known as PIT-CNT, called a partial general strike for this Tuesday in Uruguay, which includes the stoppage of activities from 09H00 to 13H00 hours and a demonstration from the esplanade of Udelar to the headquarters of the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Montevideo.

This will mean the suspension or changes in the attention of several services. Some unions decided to stop for 24 hours.

The vice-president of the only trade union center in the South American country, José Lorenzo López, announced at the time that the decision of the strike was taken at the Pit-Cnt level in support of “all the unions that are in conflict, both in public and private activity”.

The Unión Nacional de Obreros y Trabajadores del Transporte adheres to the measure, but does not paralyze its services, except for some which will be suspended to participate in the march, informed union leader Julio Spinetti.

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The Montevideo Teachers Association announced that it will participate, with a 24-hour strike. It also called for a “mobilization in tunics”, with a concentration at Avenida 18 de Julio and Eduardo Acevedo Díaz.

The Municipality of Montevideo informed that, as Adeom adheres to the measure of the union central, there will be no mixed waste collection from Monday night until Tuesday after 19:00 hours. Therefore, he urged the population to take the waste to the containers.

The Uruguayan Bankers Association informed local media that the union is planning a 24-hour strike with an assembly to be held at the Antel Arena. The theme of the meeting will be the basis for the reform of the Bank Retirement and Pension Fund.

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.”