International

At least 17 dead, including children, after a military bombing against a school in Burma

At least 17 people died, including several children, after a bombing by the Burmese Army against a school in the Sagaing region on Thursday, according to a civil organization told EFE from the field and denounced independent local media and the democratic opposition.

This source told EFE that “it is likely” that the death toll will increase, while local media such as Myanmar Now raise the death toll to about 30 and the Government of National Unity (NUG), which declares itself the legitimate authority of the country after the 2021 coup, points out that “there are children between the dead and the injured.”

According to independent local media, the bombing occurred today around 10 local time (3.30 GMT) in the municipality of Depeyin, in the Sagaing region (north), epicenter of the earthquake with more than 3,700 deaths on March 28, and for which the military junta declared a ceasefire until May 31.

The Committee of Representatives of the Union Assembly (CRPH) of the area, the Parliament of the NUG, said in its X account that these were two bombings against the school that killed “dozens of students and two teachers and injured many.”

The agency “firmly condemned” the “continuous bombings against civilians” of the junta, which has been in power since the asonada, and called for international cooperation to “put an end to the military regime and its brutal acts.”

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Last week the military junta announced a new truce until May 31 in the conflict it has with ethnic and pro-democratic guerrillas with the aim of continuing with reconstruction tasks after the devastating earthquake with epicenter in Sagaing that shook the country at the end of March.

Sagaing is one of the rebel strongholds of Burma (Myanmar), where guerrillas have gained ground from the Army since the military uprising.

The UN, the pro-democracy opposition – which also declared a similar cessation of hostilities after the disaster – and several ethnic minority guerrillas have accused the junta of having perpetrated hundreds of attacks despite the ceasefire.

The coup ended a decade of democratic transition and sharpened the guerrilla war that the country has been experiencing for decades. Amnesty International (AI) says the conflict escalated in Burma in the last year and that the Army is undertaking an “indiscriminate, disproportionate and deadly” offensive against the rebels.

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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.”