International

The director of the United States Secret Service resigns after criticism of the attack on Trump

The until now director of the U.S. Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned on Tuesday after the criticism raised by the security errors of the rally in Butler (Pennsylvania) in which former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) suffered an assassination attempt.

The NBC network announced, citing three sources familiar with the issue, that the resignation has occurred after several calls by legislators to resign.

Just yesterday Cheatle appeared on a committee of the House of Representatives and stated that the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was the “biggest operational failure” of the agency “in decades.”

Cheatle assumed “full responsibility” for the “security” lap of his agency and assured that he cooperates with the ongoing investigations into the attack.

The Republican opposition had asked for the resignation of Cheatle, at the head of the agency in charge of Trump’s security.
Trump was shot in the ear while participating in a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania). The shooter had climbed a roof about 140 meters from the former president, although outside the security perimeter.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Witnesses had warned two minutes before the shots of the suspicious presence of the aggressor, a 20-year-old boy whose reasons are still unknown and who was killed by Secret Service agents.

During the hearing, Republicans protested Cheatle’s refusal to answer most of his questions, alleging that there are several ongoing investigations with which the Secret Service is collaborating to clarify what failed in the operation.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on which the Secret Service depends, announced on Sunday the start by order of the president, Joe Biden, of an independent investigation into what happened with members of the two parties that must be completed within 45 days.

The investigation will be formed, among others, by Janet Napolitano, former Secretary of Homeland Security with Barack Obama (2009-2017); or Frances Townsend, former National Security Adseser to George W. Bush (2001-2009).

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.