International

Cuban President pays posthumous tribute to combatant killed in Angola

Photo: @PresidenciaCuba

August 22|

The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, paid honors on Tuesday to Cuban Major General Raúl Díaz Argüelles, who served as the first military chief of the Cuban internationalist mission in the confrontation against the apartheid regime in Angola.

Together with the delegation accompanying him, the president visited the Necropolis of Alto de las Cruces, where he paid honors by laying a wreath at the place where the remains of the outstanding revolutionary fighter were laid.

“The roses on the marble are for him and for all Cuban internationalists fallen in this land,” the president said on his account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.

During the tribute, about twenty Cubans serving in the Angolan nation were present, who represented the bonds of brotherhood between the two nations.

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The site kept the remains of Diaz Arguelles, who fell in the early morning of December 11, 1975, in Hengo, Cuanza Sur province, when the armored transporter in which he was traveling made contact with an anti-tank mine.

In this regard, on September 10, 2015, the Cuban Council of State agreed to grant him the Honorary Title of Hero of the Republic, annexed to the Honorary Title he is awarded the Order “Máximo Gómez” of First Degree, which was delivered at the ceremony for the 40th Anniversary of the Independence of Angola, on November 11, 2015.

Díaz Argüelles also holds the Agostinho Neto post mortem order, which was presented to him by the President of Angola, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, at the Palace of the Revolution in Havana, on July 1, 2019 and was posthumously promoted to the rank of Brigadier General, while he was also recognized with the honorary title of Hero of the Republic of Cuba.

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.”