International

Republican US congresswoman says that Bukele “liberated” El Salvador “from terrorism”

US Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (Florida) met with the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, who “has liberated” the Central American country “from the deadly clutches of terrorism,” Luna said on Monday in a message on the social network X.

The congresswoman published today on her X account photographs where she is seen with the Salvadoran president, without specifying if the meeting was this Monday.

Luna, who is also the president of a group called the Caucus of El Salvador made up of several American Republican congressmen, wrote: “I saw it with my own eyes: President Bukele has really freed El Salvador from the deadly clutches of violent criminal terrorists and has returned hope to the people.”

“As President of @SAL_Caucus (Caucus), I feel honored to accompany you in the struggle to achieve lasting peace and justice in this beautiful country. Both the United States and El Salvador appreciate your brave leadership @nayibbukele,” he added.

The Caucus of El Salvador was formed in July last year shortly after Matt Gaetz and other Republican congressmen visited El Salvador for Bukele’s inauguration on June 1, 2024, according to the local press.

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Last April, several Democratic congressmen visited El Salvador for the case of Kilmar Ábrego García, the Salvadoran migrant expelled from the United States for an “administrative error” and who is imprisoned in a Salvadoran prison.

These congressmen, including Chris Van Hollen, sought to meet with President Bukele, but they did not get it.

International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

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.