International

Boluarte calls for “international strength” to respect the vote in Venezuela and decorates González Urrutia

The Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, demanded that multinational organizations and democratic countries generate “international force so that the will of the Venezuelan vote is respected,” after meeting in Lima with the opposition leader of Venezuela Edmundo González Urrutia, to whom she reiterated his recognition as elected president.

“It is time for the countries that we are living in democracy, such as Peru, to be next to Edmundo to give him strength, strength, and tell the elected president of Venezuela that he is not alone,” Boluarte said in the Government Palace.

And he added: “To international organizations such as the (Organization of American States) OAS, (I ask you) to make the international force so that the will of the Venezuelan vote is respected and Edmundo will soon be in Caracas directing the destinies of his homeland.”

Given this situation, he reiterated that the Government of Peru is with González Urrutia “in that struggle, which hopefully and soon” will lead him to be in Venezuela “directing the destinies, in peace, in democracy, of a rule of law.”

The president repeated that she recognizes González Urrutia as the winner of the July 2024 elections “so that the whole world is heard free and the tyrannies tremble.”

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He stressed that on July 28, 2024, Venezuelans chose him “democratically to take the reins of their country.”

“We trust that the legitimate will of Venezuelan citizens will prevail, because this is how it is expressed at the polls and because we are facing a legal and legitimate cause,” he stressed.

González Urrutia went to the Government Palace of Lima accompanied by his wife, Mercedes López, as well as the former metropolitan mayor of Caracas Antonio Ledezma, and was received by Boluarte, the prime minister, Gustavo Adrianzén, and the foreign minister, Elmer Schialer.

Boluarte awarded the highest decoration of the Peruvian State to the opposition leader. The decoration with the order of The Sun of Peru, in the rank of Grand Cross, was held in a ceremony held at the Government Palace of Lima.

The official resolution stated that it was decided to decorate González Urrutia for his defense of democratic values, respect for human rights and the leadership and defense of the fundamental freedoms of the Venezuelan people “who have been recognized internationally.”

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He added that, “despite the adverse circumstances in the Venezuelan political context,” González Urrutia has carried out “significant initiatives aimed at restoring constitutional order in his country.”

After receiving the decoration from the hands of Boluarte, the Venezuelan leader assured that it is a recognition that “honors” him and that he values “on behalf of all the Venezuelan people.”

This tour began after he received asylum in Spain last September, considering that he was at risk of detention by the authorities of his country for not accepting the results of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE), which proclaimed the victory of Nicolás Maduro without publishing the detailed data, as his own schedule demanded.

For its part, the largest anti-Chavista bloc, Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD), has insisted that González Urrutia was the winner of the elections, something he says he proves with 85.18% of the electoral records that, he says, he gathered through witnesses and table members, documents that Chavismo calls “false”.

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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.”