International

What are the first measures approved by Trump after taking office as US president?

Republican Donald Trump has debuted as president of the United States, dismantling Joe Biden’s legacy with a sleve of executive decrees to inaugurate his second term in the White House.

But what measures has Donald Trump already approved and which ones are just a declaration of intent? Review of some of the most outstanding decisions during these first hours in office.

1. Not applying the agreement reached in the OECD to apply the global tax in the United States

The president said that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will be notified that the commitments made by the previous cabinet regarding the global tax agreement to impose a global tax are ineffective

2. Exiting the Paris Agreement against climate change

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One of the measures that the president has already announced and that he has fulfilled has been to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. An action that he already did during his first term (2016-2021) and which now former President Joe Biden reinstated in 2021.

3. Withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization

He also ordered the US’s exit from the World Health Organization (WHO).

4. Pardon 1,500 convicted of the assault on the Capitol in 2021

Most of those convicted for the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, which occurred on the same day that Biden’s victory was being certified, have been pardoned by the new President Trump. About 1,500 people benefit from this measure.

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5. Declare the “national emergency” on the border with Mexico, which authorizes the use of military

In honor of his motto Make America Great Again, Trump declared a “national emergency” on the border with Mexico, which authorizes the use of military forces on that border.

6. Revoke Cuba’s exit from the list of states promoting terrorism

Donald Trump revoked the order of last January 14 with which former President Joe Biden removed Cuba from the US list of states promoting terrorism.

7. Declare the “national energy emergency” to be able to drill in the United States in search of oil and gas

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He also signed an executive order to declare a “national energy emergency” that gives him authority to boost oil and gas production in the country, including the opening of new drilling in Alaska.

This energy emergency is one of several measures with which to boost the oil, gas and energy industry and reverse the transition to clean sources promoted by his predecessor, Joe Biden.

But in addition, during his first hours after taking office, he also made headlines with several declarations of intent:

1. Rename the “Gulf of Mexico” to be called “Gulf of America”

Another of the announced reforms was the renaming of the “Gulf of Mexico”. “Soon, we will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to ‘Gulf of America’,” Trump said.

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2. Regain control of the Panama Canal

During his speech, he assured that he would regain control of the Panama Canal. “China is operating the Panama Canal. But we didn’t give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we are going to take it back,” he said.

3. Turn into “official policy” of his new government to recognize only two gender identities: “the male and the female”

One of the orders decreed by the new president was to ‘overthring’ almost 80 decrees of the Biden government, including the one that bet on racial equity and the one that advocated to prevent and combat discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. In his inauguration speech, he stated that he will recognize only two gender identities, “the male and the female”.

4. He criticized the economic contribution of some NATO countries, such as Spain, whose contribution he described as “very low”

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The new president criticized that Spain’s contribution to NATO is “very low”, in addition to being confused by including the country as a member of the BRICS, an organization of emerging countries of which it is not a part.

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.”