International

Maduro leads the march in Caracas for the 33 years of Hugo Chávez’s “rebellion”

Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for his third six-year term in power after elections questioned by the opposition, led this Tuesday a march that toured Caracas to commemorate the 33 years of what he called the “rebellion” of Hugo Chávez, between 1999 and 2013, in reference to the failed coup d’état that the deceased ruler led as a lieutenant colonel.

“February 4 (…) was the rebellion against all forms of domination (…) February 4, 1992, the day of awakening and the Bolivarian rebellion,” Maduro said at the end of the march, which started from Plaza Venezuela and culminated in Paseo Los Próceres, located near the main military complex and academies in the country, Fort Tiuna.

Maduro said that Chavismo has “resisted in a creative, heroic way” and is “advanceding” in its “own model,” so he said that “great, blessed times have come for Venezuela for now and forever.”

“There is no force on earth that will take away the destiny and the great future of Venezuela,” he said.

Together with the Chavista leader, the Minister of the Interior and also first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, pointed out that the soldiers of February 4 are with the revolution “in good times and in bad” and – he added – “if it is in bad times faster.”

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“If the enemy made the mistake of making a mistake with us, he knows that he will have an immediate answer, a forceful answer, and we are going to show him that 33 years ago Hugo Chávez rose up with the people to never leave power again,” Cabello said, about the failed coup attempt against then-President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who died in 2010.

This Tuesday, which began with an event in the Mountain Barracks, a building located in the popular neighborhood of January 23 where Chávez’s remains rest, a PSUV congress is expected to begin to propose “to the high political command” the candidates for the regional and parliamentary elections of April 27.

The votes were called by the electoral body – controlled by Chavismo – and have been rejected by the majority opposition, which demands respect for the claimed triumph of Edmundo González Urrutia in the presidential elections of July last year.

In addition, Maduro criticized the Foreign Minister of Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha, of whom he said “is not able to defend” the Panama Canal, which US President Donald Trump has threatened to “recover.”

In an event in Caracas, the leader of Chavismo said that Martínez-Acha “lowered his pants” before the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on his recent official visit to Panama, a country that promised not to renew a trade agreement with China and to work with the US Navy to “optimize the priority” of the transit of its ships through the Channel.

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“Where is that idiot? What is the name of the Panamanian chancellor’s imbecile? That he pulled down his pants in front of Marco Rubio when he visited him now and is not able to defend the Panama Canal,” Maduro said in a speech.

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.”