International

At least 7 dead, including three children, in the fire of a building in Nice that could have been caused

At least seven people have died, including three children, in a fire in the French city of Nice that is being investigated as a provoked act.

“The criminal clue is under consideration,” prosecutor Damien Martinelli briefly declared next to the damaged building.

Martinelli also revealed that an investigation has been initiated on the charge of voluntary arson causing deaths.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, praised the action of the firefighters on the social network X: “the rapid action of the firefighters has undoubtedly made it possible to avoid numerous victims. The police services will clarify the circumstances of this frightening drama.”

The prosecutor did not detail what indications point to a voluntary authorship, but he did say that experts from the Marseille police laboratory “will come to perform examinations at the crime scene.”

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The deputy mayor of Nice, Anthony Borre, pointed directly to drug trafficking as the possible source of the fire, as he said in a statement to the France Info station.

“If it is due to drug trafficking, as I think, a strong and unprecedented response from the State will be needed,” he said.

The fire began around 3:00 a.m. on the seventh and last floor of a residential building in the Les Moulins neighborhood, “a neighborhood that is traumatized by this drama, which is very concerned about drug trafficking,” he added.

The accident was “very powerful” and caused six deaths in the apartment, including three children. In addition, two people threw themselves out the window to flee the flames, one died and the other is hospitalized, the deputy mayor explained.

“The firefighters have done an admirable job and have saved dozens of inhabitants” from the high floors of the building thanks to their long stairs, he said.

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The authorities have set up a psychological help device for the neighbors, and even “the national police are also affected by what they have seen,” the politician said.

Borre explained that the Les Moulins neighborhood is an area that was being renovated since 2009 but that in the last two years drug trafficking groups have been installed that use young people “as labor,” which has forced the use of even private security guards in some buildings.

The mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi, spoke by phone with the Minister of the Interior, who was asked to “mobilize the security forces in order to guarantee the safety of the inhabitants and avoid new acts after this drama,” he said in a message in X.

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.”