International

Sheinbaum, Netanyahu, Musk and Trump, among the candidates for “person of the year” of Time 2024

Time magazine published this Monday its list of ten finalists for “person of the year” 2024, which will be announced this Thursday, and among them are the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum; the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the elected president of the United States, Donald Trump.

In an election year in the United States, it is no surprise that Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris appear among the finalists, who applied to be the first female president of the country and who had already been named “person of the year” along with President Joe Biden in 2020, when her formula won the elections.

In 2016, also an election year for the United States, Donald Trump won this ‘title’ of “person of the year” after his victory.
This year, the magazine highlights his political comeback, his conviction on 34 fraud charges and his plans for the US economy.

Political leaders dominate Time’s “person of the year” list

However, they are not the only political leaders on the list, since the first woman to serve as president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, is among the nominees and Time highlights her fight for people with fewer resources, her inauguration at an economically complicated time for the country and her firm response to Trump’s plans regarding tariffs.

On the other hand, according to the magazine, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes him as “one of the most influential and controversial world leaders of the year” and, on which an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice for war crimes weighs.

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Two entrepreneurs of technology companies are also among the ten finalists: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The other candidates

This year, Musk, the richest man in the world, entered the world of politics with Trump, who announced that he would co-direct a new commission, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The list also includes Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, who was international news and protagonist of conspiracy theories before her cancer diagnosis was made public, and economist Julia Navalnaya, who accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing her husband, the opponent Alexéi Navalny, and who met with world leaders.

The president of the US Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, has also entered the list, as well as the comedian and athlete Joe Rogan, whose podcast was the most listened to this year.

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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.”