International

Hurricane Beryl to bring dangerous winds and storm surge to windward islands

Bermuda orders airport and school closures due to Hurricane Lee

The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) has confirmed that Beryl is now a hurricane and is expected to intensify rapidly.

“Beryl is now a hurricane and is forecasted to intensify rapidly. It is expected to bring potentially deadly winds and a storm surge to the Windward Islands as a major hurricane. A hurricane warning is already in effect for Barbados,” the NHC reported.

As of yesterday, Beryl was located 1,785 kilometers east-southeast of Barbados and 4,805 kilometers east-southeast of the coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It was advancing westward at a speed of just over 30 kilometers per hour.

Authorities indicated that Beryl was generating sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching up to 85 kilometers per hour.

The NHC’s forecast showed that the tropical system was moving westward along the northern coast of South America, with the projected path showing it east of the coasts of Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Additionally, Beryl could produce sustained winds of 100 kilometers per hour. According to the NHC, Beryl is the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, with the average formation date for the first hurricane being August 11.

In light of this weather situation, hurricane warnings have been issued for Barbados, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, with a tropical storm warning for Martinique and Tobago.

“Interests in other parts of the Lesser Antilles should closely follow Beryl’s progress. Additional watches and warnings are likely to be required today for parts of the area,” the NHC communicated prior to declaring Beryl a hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center has forecasted a very active season this year. U.S. authorities have assessed a 70% probability of having between 17 and 25 named tropical cyclones, of which eight to 13 could become hurricanes.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

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.