International

Jury finds Hunter Biden guilty of illegal possession of a firearm

The jury of the trial of Hunter Biden for illegal possession of a firearm in 2018 found him guilty on Tuesday, in a historic ruling of the first trial of the son of a sitting United States president.

Hunter, the 54-year-old son of President Joe Biden, was found guilty of the three charges against him, in a context of drug addiction, CNN and other American media reported.

The president’s son was accused of lying about his drug use in order to buy a 38-caliber revolver in 2018.

The verdict comes at a time when his father seeks re-election and less than two weeks after the guilty sentence on charges of business fraud against Donald Trump, the probable Republican presidential candidate in November.

Hunter Biden did not testify during the trial held in Wilmington (Delaware), his hometown.

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He faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison, although a lighter sentence is expected, even without prison, for not having a criminal record.

The first lady, Jill Biden, attended the trial for several days to support him. The president did not show up but said that he is “proud” of his son.

“As president I do not or comment on pending federal cases, but as a father, I have an infinite love for my son, confidence in him and respect for his strength,” Biden said in a statement last week.

The process, along with another case in which Hunter faces tax evasion charges in California, complicates the efforts of the Democrats to keep the focus on Trump, the first former president to be found guilty of criminal offenses.

Hunter Biden’s past addictions were the central issue of the trial, which included the testimony of ex-partners of the president’s son.

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Last week, the prosecutor reproduced fragments of Hunter Biden’s memoirs “Beautiful Things”, recorded by himself, in which he remembers moments of his addiction in which he was desperately looking for crack.

“I was cooking (the crack) and smoking. He cooked and smoked,” says the fragment reproduced in the court, extracted from the audiobook.

In addition to being a political distraction, Hunter Biden’s legal problems have reopened old family wounds, derived from his drug problems and other previous situations.

Her brother Beau died of cancer in 2015 and her sister Naomi died when she was a child, in 1972, in a car accident in which her mother, Neilia, the president’s first wife and mother of the three, also died.

Hunter, a Yale-trained lawyer and a lobist turned artist, had the firearm in his possession for eleven days after the purchase.

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The president’s son, who has written profusely about his addiction, said that at the time he bought the revolver he did not consider himself addicted. Hunter assures that he has not used drugs since 2019.

Hunter Biden has long been in the sights of the Republicans, who promoted an exhaustive investigation within Congress pointing out corruption and influence peddling, although charges were never filed against him for that.

His businesses in China and Ukraine also served as a basis for Republicans to try to open impeachment proceedings to dismiss their father, but those efforts did not succeed.

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.”