International

Trump asked Zelenski not to believe that a victory of his would benefit Russia, says Kiev

The former president and Republican candidate for the Presidency of the United States, Donald Trump, told the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that he should not believe that a victory of his would benefit Russia, the latter’s spokesman, Sergei Nikiforov, said today.

“Trump said an interesting thing: he urged not to believe in the information that his victory could be beneficial for Russia. He called this thesis false information and urged not to believe it,” Nikifórov said on Ukrainian television after both talking on the phone on Friday.

Zelenski in turn urged Trump not to believe the representatives of those countries that try to explain and justify in some way the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to his spokesman.

“There are no excuses here. He is an ordinary murderer. The president has said it. (…) he spoke of yesterday’s attack in Mikoláyiv, in which people died again. They also discussed and condemned the July 8 attack on Ojmatdit,” Nikiforov said, referring to the bombing of the children’s hospital in Kiev.

The spokesman also explained that it is still too early to talk about a date for the meeting between Zelenski and Trump.

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“We have agreed with President Trump to discuss in a personal meeting what steps can lead to a just and truly lasting peace,” Zelenski said last night on his social network account X after talking with the Republican candidate for the US Presidency.

The American, for his part, indicated on his own social network that, if he becomes president of the United States, there will be peace negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine.

“Both parties will be able to get together and negotiate a pact that ends with violence and paves a way forward to prosperity,” the former president promised.

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.