International

The new British Prime Minister proclaims the “restart” of relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union

The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, proclaimed on Thursday the “restart” of relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) under the new Labour Government, at the inauguration of the summit of the European Political Community (CPE).

“The United Kingdom and the European Union working together are a powerful force for good,” Starmer said to almost fifty European leaders gathered at Blenheim Palace, northwest of London.

The new head of the British Executive stated that “a storm is looming” over the European continent, but that they have decided to face it in coordination with other countries.

“We want to work with all of you, to reset relationships and renew bonds of trust. The mission is urgent, our security is at stake,” Starmer said.

He considered that Ukraine “fights every day not only to protect the Ukrainian people, but all Europeans,” so he paid tribute to the leadership of President Volodymyr Zelensky, sitting to his right.

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“We will be by your side as long as necessary. We will face Russian aggression together,” he promised, before pointing out that “Russia’s threat is spreading throughout Europe,” as evidenced by “cyberattacks in many countries or planes violating our airspaces.”

That threat, he denounced, is “more acute” in Eastern European countries such as Moldova.

Starmer urged the almost fifty leaders who congregate today at the birthplace of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill to “look for new and more ambitious ways to work together.”

And he defended his “practical vision” of how the United Kingdom can deal with the current moment: “I am not guided by ideology.”

The British leader, who promised to “strengthen” his country’s alliances and “build new ones,” also addressed the phenomenon of immigration, which is listed as one of the axes of the meeting and which in his opinion is no longer a “challenge,” but a “crisis.”

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“As we speak, a criminal empire is working in every country represented here to take advantage of human misery and despair, prepared to send babies, pregnant mothers and innocent people to death,” he said.

In his opinion, despite the fact that criminal networks of human trafficking can be combated, it is global inequality that causes the migratory phenomenon.

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.

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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.

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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.