International

G7 Foreign Ministers to meet near Rome for talks on Middle East and Ukraine

The foreign ministers of the G7 will meet on Monday near Rome for two days of talks on the Middle East conflict, in the presence of regional counterparts, as well as on the war in Ukraine.

The meeting, which will take place in the towns of Fiuggi and Anagni, will discuss several topics, including the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the head of Hamas’s military wing, Mohamed Deif.

The gathering will begin Monday afternoon with the presence of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The first session will be dedicated to the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea, five days after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“The discussions with our partners will focus on how to support efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, humanitarian initiatives for the affected populations, and the promotion of a credible political horizon for regional stability,” the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

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Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7 (comprising Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom), has included a dialogue session with ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

On Tuesday, the second day will focus on the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, with the participation of ministers from several Asian countries.

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.