International

The new French prime minister launches an ultimatum to the moderate parties and the left rejects his offer

The French Prime Minister, François Bayrou, tried on Thursday to accelerate the formation of his government by launching a 24-hour ultimatum to the moderate parties to decide if they want to integrate it, but it crashed with the refusal of the left-wing forces.

For three hours, the head of government met with the leaders of the ‘Macronist’ center, the moderate right, socialists, ecologists and communists, in order to advance in the constitution of his Executive, which he assured he wants to appoint before Christmas.

Bayrou had made the decision to leave out of the meeting the two most extreme parties, the far right of Marine Le Pen and the leftist La Francia Insumisa (LFI) of Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

But at the end of the meeting, the left-wing parties reiterated their refusal to be part of the Cabinet, while threatening to vote on a new motion of censure in the face of what they considered a refusal by Bayrou to change political course.

“He has not given us arguments for us not to vote on a motion of censure,” said the socialist leader, Olivier Faure, whose 66 deputies are key to giving stability to the new Executive.

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A single proposal

Like the environmental leaders, who have 38 seats, the socialists accused Bayrou of having come with a single proposal that they considered insufficient, to open a negotiation on the pension reform, adopted last year in the midst of a great social upheaval.

The prime minister proposed to open a social conference on this reform, which delays the minimum retirement age by two years, but does not suspend its application, as the left-wing parties claim, so they rejected the offer.

“We are dismayed by the poverty of what has been proposed to us,” said Faure, who accused Bayrou and the ‘Macronist’ parties of “seeking the left to give them stability without any counterpart, only with appeals to responsibility.”

The socialist leader recalled that it was the left-wing alliance that won the legislative elections last July, which gives them legitimacy to demand a change of political course.

Bayrou, who has the support of the 166 ‘Macronist’ deputies, had a more lenient response from the moderate right, whose leader, Laurent Wauquiez, asked the attendees for a six-month truce to give stability to the new Executive, without clarifying whether his party will enter it.

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Finding parliamentary solidity

In that panorama, the prime minister, who in the coming hours will speak on public television France 2, seems to have complicated to find the parliamentary solidity that avoids a fate similar to that of his predecessor, the conservative Michel Barnier, knocked down by a motion of censure on the 4th, three months after his appointment.

Unlike the former Brexit negotiator, who expected to find stability in the extreme right, who ended up betraying him, Bayrou hopes to rely on the most moderate parties, but he has not managed to convince the left.

At the same time, they face the pressure of their parliamentary ally LFI, opposed to any dialogue with the prime minister and which demands the resignation of the president, Emmanuel Macron, whom he considers responsible for the blockade situation in France.

“Let our partners make steers. It’s time for them to return home: opposition without concessions and motion of censure without wasting time in dead-end debates,” said Jean-Luc Melénchon, leader of the LFI, in a message on the social network X aimed at socialists, ecologists and communists.

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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.”