International

Equal marriage comes into force in Thailand

Equal marriage came into force this Thursday in Thailand, the first country in Southeast Asia that allows same-sex unions and only the third in Asia to do so, after Nepal and Taiwan, a milestone that will be celebrated today with hundreds of links.

It has taken 120 days since the law was published in the Royal Gazette on September 24, after being approved by Parliament in June, so that it could become effective and begin this Thursday to allow equal marriages in tourist Thailand.

The records will receive today for 10 hours the couples who wish to formalize their links, and the first to do so were the women Ployanapat Jirasukorn, 33, and Kwanporn Kongphet, 32, who sealed their marriage in a ceremony for hundreds of couples convened in the Bangkok Siam Paragon shopping center.

Around 300 couples are expected to be part of that collective wedding today in the Thai capital, a symbol of the step achieved in the Asian country that will accompany a speech by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while in parallel a multitude of events will be held in provinces throughout the country.

A festive atmosphere to applaud the advances of the LGBTI collective in Thailand, stagnated for years by the two military coups since 2006 that restricted civil liberties, and that now place the country at the head of the entire Southeast Asian region, and most of Asia.

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While homosexual couples in Thailand will from today have the same rights as heterosexual ones, including those related to the inheritance and adoption of children, the setbacks are palpable in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia or Brunei, with a Muslim majority, which criminalize same-sex relationships.

Modern Singapore did not repeal until November 2022 the law that penalizes homosexual sex – section 377A, inheritance of the British colonial period -, in parallel approving a constitutional amendment to shield marriage as an exclusively heterosexual union.

In China, homosexuality has been legal since 1997, although the collective still faces numerous prejudices and challenges. Although India decriminalized in 2018 as Singapore the colonial law that criminalized homosexuality, marriage is only for couples of opposite sex.

Japan, for its part, is the only member of the G7 that does not recognize same-sex marriage, although in recent years its courts and local authorities have taken a series of steps that pave the way for future legalization.

Thailand thus joins the few places in Asia that recognize equal marriage, following Nepal, which legalized it last year, and Taiwan, which was a pioneer in approving it in 2019

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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.”